


Orphan's End

by Donatellosgirl36



Series: Bound Volume 2 [3]
Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Family Drama, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-20
Updated: 2018-05-16
Packaged: 2019-04-25 07:21:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 25,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14373756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Donatellosgirl36/pseuds/Donatellosgirl36
Summary: Bound V2N3. One life gives to another, whether that is by birth or by the simple generosity of a heart. Every choice that is made affects someone. Sometimes that is to the positive and sometimes it is to the negative. A single moment of weakness can destroy someone else’s future.





	1. Foundling

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Still don’t own those gorgeous turtle boys! LOL!
> 
> Warning: The subject matter addressed within this story, may not be suitable for younger readers simply due to the harshness of reality. However, there is no content that would justify a Mature rating such as nudity, sexual situations, or extreme violence.
> 
> A/N: Be aware that any part marked with { } will mean that the person is speaking Mandarin.

Leo lowered the binoculars. “This is where you saw them?”

Raph nodded. “Yeah. I saw ‘em the other night when I was out patrolin’ with the kids. They had a whole boat load of ‘em.” He growled, clenching his fist at his side. “These people are the worst of the worst. They’re real scum.”

Donnie lowered his own binoculars. “If they’re into what you say they are, they’re probably well-armed.”

“Which is why I didn’t say nothin’ to K-three.” Raph didn’t want to put their children in that sort of danger, regardless of how well they were trained.

Mikey frowned. “You really think they were trafficking people? Like slaves? Do people still do that?”

“Unfortunately, yes. Slavery is still a thriving industry even in modern times.” Don said sadly.

Raph growled again. “It makes me sick!”

“Well, we can at least break up this trafficking ring.” Leo knew the unhappy truth was it would only be a drop in the bucket compared to the poor souls that were still out there. He raised the binoculars again to watch the small cargo ship dock. A large truck pulled to a stop nearby and six men climbed out. “Looks like the handlers just showed. Let’s move.”

Without a sound the four were off the roof of the warehouse and moving across the large shipping containers. When they were close, they dropped down into the dark shadows between them. A ramp extended from the cargo ship and the captain came down. He greeted one of the men on the dock. A bag exchanged hands and the captain called back up to another man waiting at the top. A group of people emerged from below the deck.

“Man, sometimes I hate always bein’ right.” Raphael glared across the dock at the men.

“Alright, Raph you take the right. Don you take the left. Mikey you’re with me.” Leo looked Raph dead in the eye. “Wait until the group is at the bottom of the ramp. We don’t want them shoving those people back into that cargo hold.”

Raph scowled, knowing he was telling him to follow orders for once. “Fine, let’s just go.”

“Be careful guys, we don’t know how many men are on that boat.” With that Leo gave the signal for them to split off.

Leo and Mikey crept up as close as they could to the side of the truck that was facing them. The driver had gotten out and was smoking a cigarette. He turned his back towards them to look inside the cab for something. Whatever it was, he never got the chance to find it. Like a shadow Mikey fell on him and dragged him back into the darkness, where he was swiftly made unconscious. Now there were no obstacles in their way. The two slipped into position beneath the truck.

The men held their weapons openly as they ushered a group of nearly twenty people down the ramp. The group consisted of mainly young adults, but at the rear was one small figure. It was a small girl of maybe ten or eleven. Her dark green eyes were round in fear as the men around her shouted orders at the group. She’d barely stepped off the ramp when there was a commotion.

Leo and Mikey easily took down the two guys that were in front of them. Raph took down the man closest to him and then went for the leader of the gang. The leader began firing at him, but Raph was still quick enough to avoid being hit. He threw a handful of shuriken which imbedded themselves in the leader’s chest.

Across from Raph, Donatello had just taken out his guy when rapid fire came from the vessel. The four dove for cover as the group of people began screaming and scattering in different directions. The men onboard continued to shout commands at them, but none were listening. The captain, who’d retreated to the top of the ramp, began firing into the group.

“Oh, no!” Mikey gasped from where he was now alone beneath the truck. Where had Leo gone? That’s when he also noticed that Raph was missing. The two had dove off into the water and were now coming up behind the boat.

“Mikey!” Donnie hissed from his spot behind a container. “We need to get those people out of there!” He nodded in understanding when his brother pulled a smoke grenade from his bag. As soon as it hit the ground near the ramp and exploded in large bellow of smoke, he was moving. One after another, he and Don pulled the innocent people out of danger, while the men on the ship continued to fire wildly into the cloud of smoke.

Leo and Raph had had the same idea at the same time. They had to get behind their enemy. Finding the metal ladder that was bolted into the other side of the ship, they climbed up. Leo paused at the top to survey the deck. He looked down at Raph and gestured. There were six, including the captain. Two were near the bow, while the rest were in the center. Raph pointed at himself and then the center. Leo frowned, then gave a small nod. He would take the two in front and then help Raph with the others.

A cloud of smoke appeared near the ramp and they used the distraction to move. Leo darted towards the bow, while Raph slipped onto the main deck behind some crates. With a kick and a punch Leo quickly dispatched the two men, throwing both them and their guns into the bay.

Raphael shifted to another place closer to one of the four remaining men. Measuring the distance between the other three, he took a deep breath and tackled the one near him. One good blow and the guy was out. The third man that was about ten feet away, turned towards them and Raph threw his sai. It sank deep into the man’s soft stomach. By now he’d been noticed by the other two. They swung their guns around, aiming for him. Raph moved just in time for the bullets to go whizzing past him.

The barrage, however, did not last long. Leo descended on them, slicing the rifle in half and disarming the captain of his pistol with a foot to his jaw that sent him down like a rock. He immediately took out the stunned first-mate with a knee to the gut and an elbow to the head.

Below, the smoke cloud was clearing, Leo was glad to see there hadn’t been any civilian casualties. Raph retrieved his sai and joined his brother at the top of the ramp. Donnie and Mikey were already tossing some of the goons into the back of the truck that they’d intended to cart their victims away in. Leo and Raph joined them and soon they had the lot inside and the door locked. As police sirens drew closer the four disappeared into the dark.

On the rooftop of the warehouse they’d started from they watched as the police and ambulance pulled up. Mikey leaned forward as he watched the group of victims appear from behind the canister they’d deposited them near earlier. “What’ll happen to them?”

“They’ll be sent home most likely.” Leo patted his shoulder. “We did good tonight fellas. We saved a lot of lives, not just those down there either.” They stood and watched the young adults being loaded into ambulances and the goons being loaded into paddy wagons.

Everyone was mostly gone when Mikey spotted something moving in the shadow of a container. “What’s that?”

Don pulled his binoculars back out. But all he could make out was the shape of a person. They were too far away for the night-vision to show any detail. “There is someone down there.”

Raph pulled a sai and twirled it, still ready for action. “Ya think one of those creeps gotta away from us?”

Leo frowned. “We’d better check it out.”

It only took a moment for them to be racing across the dock once more atop the shipping containers, Mikey at the lead. Spotting the shadow creeping along between two of the metal boxes, he leapt down into it’s path. “Hey, dude, where do you think-?” He drew up short, catching Raphael as he landed beside him. “Wait!” Leo and Don appeared at the other end of the gap, blocking the exit. Mikey waved at them. “Hold it, guys!”

The four stared in surprise at the being between them. A small girl with large dark green eyes stared back at them. Then she began to cry and babble, she sat against one of the metal walls clutching her legs, pulling herself into a tight ball.

“It’s just a little girl.” Raph frowned. “What she sayin’? Is that Chinese?”

Don took a step towards the girl. “Yes, Mandarin actually.”

“Do you understand her?” Leo asked as he too slowly approached.

“My Mandarin is a bit rusty.” Don listened to her babble for another minute. “I think she’s saying don’t send her home.”

“Why wouldn’t she wanna go home?” Raph and Mikey moved closer too.

“Look at her arms and legs, bro.” Mikey pointed at the multitude of dark bruises.

“Don, tell her we’re not going to hurt her.” Leo told him.

The girl peeked up at the four large turtles now standing over her. Donatello squatted down in front of her, trying to make himself a little less intimidating. He spoke softly as he relayed the message. The girl just shook her head and kept repeating the same phrase over and over. Donnie frowned. “She just keeps saying don’t send me home.”

“So, she ain’t scared of us?” The idea was kind of refreshing to Raph that someone wasn’t immediately freaked out by their appearance.

“No.” Don spoke to the girl again. This time big tears ran down her face as she replied. Don felt his body tense with anger at her response.

Leo squatted down next to him. “What?”

“I asked her why she didn’t want to go home. She said her father sold her a few days ago to those men to pay off some debt.” He frowned. “Or at least that’s the way I understood it. It has been a while since I’ve had a chance to speak Mandarin.”

Raphael growled and slammed a fist into one of the metal walls. Beside him, Mikey’s expression reflected the same anger and disgust. “What kind of creep would do that!”

Don and Leo stood. “Leo, if we turn her over to the authorities, they’ll just return her to her father.” Leo frowned looking down at the girl, who was still crying.

“Well, we can’t leave ‘er hear! She’s just a kid!” Raph pointed out.

Mikey shook his head. “So, what do we do?”

The three looked to their eldest brother, hoping he had some idea. Leo rubbed his chin. “Maybe we could use some of our contacts in Chinatown to find her someone that would take her in.”

It was Don’s turn to shake his head. “We don’t have many contacts in Chinatown anymore. Most of them are…”

“Dead.” Raph finished.

Leo shot him a look before looking back down at the girl. “Still, it may be our only option.”

“That may take a few days.” Don reminded him. “And still there’s no guarantee that anyone would be willing to take her.”

“What do we do with her in the meantime?” Mikey squatted down and gave the girl a smile, which made her stop crying some.

“I think…” Don paused making certain that what he was about to propose was the best for the child. “I think we should take her home with us.”

Leo’s eyes widened. “What?”

“She doesn’t have anyone, Leo. So, it’s not like she’s going to tell anyone about us.” Mikey pointed out.

“And she’s scared to death she’ll be sent back to that scum.” Raph half growled.

“I don’t know…” Leo watched Don look away with a sad expression.

“I can’t…I can’t leave her.” Don gestured at the dirty, malnutritioned, frightened little girl. “Just look at her, Leo.” He squatted back down and met the girl’s green eyes. “She’s the same age Sarah was, when Master Splinter found her. I can’t do any less than what he did.” He looked up at his brother. “Sarah and I will take responsibility for her.”

Leo saw the conviction in his brother’s gaze. How could he do less than what their own father had done for Sarah – for them? How could he turn away a child that had no one? He slowly nodded. “Okay, but only if she agrees to come with us.”

Don put out his hand to his baby brother. “Mikey, give me some candy?”

“What are you talking about?”

Raph smacked him in the back of the head. “We know you have some. So give it, bonehead.”

“Alright, but it’s my last candy bar.” Mikey pulled it out with a pout.

“I need her to calm down, Mikey. This is the best way.” Don offered the chocolate bar to the girl. He struggled for a moment, trying to remember the word for candy. Finally, he gave up. “It’s candy. See?” The gesture did seem to calm her down. She took the bar slowly and unwrapped it. It was gone within mere seconds.

“Poor thing looks half starved.” Raph mumbled behind them.

The girl sat up on her knees and put her hand out. She said something and Don smiled. “She’s asking for more.”

“Give it up, Mikey.” Raph grumbled.

“Aw, man, this is my personal stash.” But Mikey passed his brother a handful of tootsie rolls and a lollipop. “That’s all I got.”

“{What is your name?}” Don asked her.

“Liling.” She said and smiled when he gave her several of the tootsie rolls.

“{My name is Donatello. These are my brothers Leonardo, Raphael, and Michelangelo.}” He pointed to each brother in turn. “{We will not send you home to your father.}” Liling visibly relaxed, her shoulders sagging in relief. “{But we can’t leave you here alone either. Would you be willing to come home with us? You would be safe there.}” She looked the four over for a long moment and then nodded. Her smile grew when he handed over the lollipop.

He looked up at Leo. “She says yes.”

Leo nodded. “Alright, then let’s go. At this rate, it’ll be nearly dawn when we get back.”

Don offered the girl his hand. “{It’s a long walk. May I carry you? It would be faster.}”

She took his hand. “{Yes.}”

When he lifted her into his arms, he frowned. She was skin and bone beneath the thin little dress she wore. Liling seemed content to focus on the candy as they sprinted back across the dock and past some warehouses. They’d parked the van only a few blocks away. Once inside, he set her in a passenger seat and put the seatbelt on. “{You must stay here.}”

She nodded then looked around the van in curiosity at all the lights and buttons. Mikey sat beside her. “Here, dudette. This will fill you up a lot more than that candy.” He handed her a bag of pretzels and a bottle of water.

She grinned up at him. “{Thank you.}”

Mikey smiled back as he watched her dive into the bag. In the back, Don called ahead. And as he’d suspected, Sarah readily agreed to take Liling in. He also explained that she was still a bit scared, so he didn’t want to overwhelm her too fast.

It was nearly dawn when they pulled up between the garage and lair. “{This is where we live.}” Don told her as they entered the dojo. Sarah, Jamie, and Cat were waiting for them. The three women offered warm smiles. The girl hid behind Donnie, uncertain of the new people.

“So, this is LIling?” Cat asked.

“Yeah, she only speaks Chinese. So she don’t understand us, only Don.” Raph told her.

“She does seem bright enough to learn English though.” Leo remarked.

Mikey nodded. “Yeah, she was smart enough to hide when the shooting started.”

Jamie frowned at the little girl, wondering what terrible things she might have seen. Sarah took a step forward. “Words aren’t always necessary.” She beckoned the girl with her hand. Don smiled when Liling stepped around him and slowly approached his wife. Sarah gently lifted her chin and brushed the long hair from the little girl’s face. “It’s alright now.” She said softly. Taking her shoulders, she pulled the child into a warm embrace.

Liling wasn’t certain at first of the three women. Would they send her home? The smallest of the three waved a hand to her and met her eyes. They were an incredibly dark shade of brown. The turtle that had been so kind to her so far smiled and it encouraged her. She lowered her eyes as she stepped closer to the woman. But the woman gently lifted her chin and brushed her hair from her face. The gesture was so caring that Liling couldn’t help but be reminded of her own mother, which she’d lost many years ago. Then she spoke and although Liling did not understand the words, she understood their meaning. She was safe.

And then this woman she had only met a few moments ago, pulled her into a deep embrace. It had been so long since Liling had been held so tenderly that she immediately buried her face against Sarah and burst into tears. Sarah did not shush her, only held her a little tighter.


	2. What is Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember any part marked with { } means the person is speaking Mandarin.

After Liling quieted, she finally lifted her head and looked back at Don. “{Who is she?}”

Don smiled. “{She is my wife, Sarah.}”

Liling looked back up at her, eyes still damp. “{Thank you.}”

Sarah didn’t need a translation. “You’re welcome, sweetheart.” She gave her another warm squeeze before releasing her.

Jamie stepped closer. “Hello, Liling. I’m Jamie.”

“{This is Leo’s wife.}” Don explained.

Cat touched the girl’s shoulder to get her attention. “And I’m Cat. It’s nice to meet you.”

“{She’s Raph’s wife.}” Don elaborated.

Sarah rubbed Liling’s arms warmly. “I think you could use a bath, a good meal, and some rest.”

“She’s probably more hungry than anything else. She scarfed down all my candy and my bag of pretzels.” Mikey smiled at the girl.

Liling couldn’t help but smile back. This turtle made her feel welcome and happy. Sarah smiled as well. “Alright, a meal first. That’ll give you a chance to feel a little more at ease here anyways.” She slipped an arm around her and guided her towards the kitchen.

Raphael stretched. “I think I’m gonna hit the sack guys.”

Jamie looked up at Leo and he could see she was very tired too. “I think we’ll do the same.”

Don looked at him with the same deep expression he’d worn earlier. “Thanks, Leo.”

His brother smiled. “It was good call, Donnie. We’ll see you when we get up.” He paused glancing towards the kitchen. “If you have any trouble, let me know.”

As the two couples left, Don grinned at Mikey. “You want to hang out with us?”

Mikey grinned back. “Duh, any time I can get an extra meal around here, I’m all in.” They both laughed as the headed into the kitchen.

At the metal island, Liling sat staring wide-eyed around the massive kitchen. She’d never seen anything like it before. She’d grown up in a poor farming village. Mikey sat next to her and she smiled a little. “Too bad you can’t understand me, dudette. I’ve got some killer knock-knock jokes.”

Sarah was already pulling a few things from the refrigerator. She chuckled. “In that case, I’d say she was lucky she can’t understand you.”

Don laughed and leaned down to give his spouse a kiss. “You’ve got that right.”

Mikey pouted. “That’s just ‘cause you guys have heard them all.”

Don continued to chuckle as he headed for the coffee pot. “Yep, about a million times.”

Mikey was going to protest, but K-three came through the door. He gave them all a curious look. “You guys just getting back?” That’s when he spotted Liling. “Who’s this?”

“She’s the reason we’re back so late.” Mikey explained. “We broke up a trafficking ring and she’s one of the ones we rescued. Her name’s Liling.”

K-three frowned at the thought of a child being treated so badly. He also frowned at the thought that he hadn’t been told about this trafficking ring. Attempting a kind smile, he offered his hand to her. “Hi, you can call me K-three.” She gave him a puzzled look.

“Uh, yeah, she only speaks Chinese.” Mikey told him.

“{This is my son-in-law, K-three.}” Don translated.

The girl pointed at herself. “Liling.”

K-three couldn’t help the small chuckle. “Yeah, I kinda got that.” He glanced around the kitchen and then at Sarah. “What, no breakfast this morning?”

She raised a brow at him, but before she could respond, Donnie did. He narrowed his eyes and folded his arms, leaning against the counter. “It’s a fend-for-yourself breakfast.”

K-three put up his hands. “Chill pops, she knows I was just teasing.”

Sarah smiled at him. “Don’t mind him, sweetie. He’s been up all night and hasn’t had his coffee yet.”

Katsu came running into the kitchen, followed shortly by Mira. She gave her father a lopsided grin. “Yeah, he’s just being grumpy.”

Don snorted, while Mikey laughed. Liling was watching the seven-year-old with interest. “{This is our daughter, Mira and that’s our grandson, Katsu.}” Don explained before turning and pouring himself a cup of coffee.

Mira watched the exchange with interest and stepped to the island. “Mandarin?”

“This is Liling. Apparently she only speaks Chinese.” K-three explained.

Mira frowned. “I may need a refresher.”

“It took me a minute to remember too.” Don confessed before taking a sip of his coffee.

Mira tapped her chin in concentration. “Ah! {I am Mira. It’s nice to meet you.}”

Liling grinned. “{You speak my language too?}”

Mira smiled. “{Yes, but I haven’t in a long time.}”

Sarah set a plate of food in front of Liling. “Well, since she can understand you, you’re going to have to help me get her settled in.”

Mira frowned. “Settled in?”

“Liling is going to be staying with us.” Don explained with a frown. “She doesn’t have anywhere else to go. We’ll explain everything later. You don’t mind helping your mother with her? It would be a bit easier than me.”

Mira nodded. “Sure.” The voices of the rest of the family could be heard gathering in the living room. Liling’s eyes darted towards the door with a touch of fear. Mira could feel her anxiety growing. “Maybe it would be a better idea for her to eat upstairs. That way she won’t get frightened by everyone.”

Don nodded. “Yeah, she’s had a rough time. Better take her up the elevator.”

Sarah nodded as well, taking the plate she’d made and putting it on a tray with some orange juice. She then handed Mikey a plate and Donnie a plate. He smiled down at her. “Thanks, love.”

K-three frowned and Sarah chuckled as she took up the tray. “You got here too late. You’ll have to make your own.”

Mira chuckled at her spouse’s adorable pout. “And you’re going to have to make Katsu one too. {Come with us, Liling.}” She helped her off the stool and they crossed the dojo to the elevator. Liling’s eyes grew wide as it began to rise. She scooted away from the edge and took ahold of one of Sarah’s arms. Mira frowned. “Where did she come from?”

Sarah frowned as well. “Last night the guys broke up a human trafficking ring. She was with them. Your father said, that her father had sold her to them. She didn’t want to be sent back to him. And I don’t blame her. Any person that would do that to their own child is a monster.”

Mira’s frown deepened. “{How old are you?}”

Liling gave a proud smile. “{I just turned eleven.}”

Mira returned the smile, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “That’s why Dad was so upset earlier.”

“Yes.” Sarah stepped off the elevator onto the fourth floor. “We’re going to have to straighten this spare room a bit.” Mira opened the door for them. This room was the least cluttered of the spare rooms. It had been the one Star had used. Sarah set the tray on a box and smiled down at Liling. “Tell her she might as well eat while we move some things around.”

Mira relayed the message and Liling settled on the floor beside the box. “{Thank you.}” Then she immediately started to eat.

They had only been moving things for a few minutes, when Shinta stepped into the doorway. He yawned and stretched. “What are you guys doing?” Then his eyes fell on the girl. The two held each other’s gaze for a long moment.

Mira turned to look at him, feeling his surprise and a bit of curiosity. “This is Liling. She’s going to be staying with us.”

Shinta took his eyes from the girl to look at her in confusion. “She is?”

“It’s a long story. We’ll explain it later.” Sarah tried to lift a rather heavy box and struggled with it.

Shinta crossed the room. “Here, let me do that Aunt Sarah. Where do you want it?”

“Just put it in the other room, sweetheart.” Shinta nodded and carried it out into the hall. Between him and Mira they cleared the room of boxes, while Sarah put clean bedding on and found a pillow. By now, Liling had finished her food and her eyes were drooping. But she sat patiently until the others were done. “Mira stay with her. I’ll go find some things for the bathroom.”

Shinta glanced out the window with a frown. “I’d better get going. Yoshi’ll be mad, if I don’t show up at the garage soon.”

Mira chuckled. “You’d better go then. Thanks for your help.” He nodded and gave Liling a small smile before leaving. Mira knelt beside the child. “{Are you ready for a bath?}”

Her green eyes brightened. “{Yes.}”

She yawned as Sarah returned with towels and soap. The older woman smiled. “I think we better make this quick. It looks like someone’s sleepy.” She paused, examining the dirty little dress the girl wore. “Hmm. We’ll need something for you to wear.” She left and returned a moment later with a t-shirt.

“Is that one of Shinta’s shirts?” Mira asked. “That will practically swallow her.”

“Yes, but it’s the best we can do for now. And it’s only to sleep in. We’ll get her something better later.”

After a warm bath, she slipped into the large soft t-shirt and crawled into the bed. As Sarah tucked her in, Mira spoke to her. “{Do you remember how we came up here?}”

“{Yes.}”

“{At the other end of the hall are stairs. If you go down to the next floor, that is where my mother and father will be. It’s also where my room is. If you need anything you can go down there. Okay?}”

Liling was barely awake now. She was warm and clean, and she wasn’t certain she’d ever felt this comfortable before. Drowsily she nodded, though not completely retaining the information. Mira and Sarah exchanged a smile as they watched the girl fall quickly asleep.

*&*&*&*&*&*&*

“Well, I suppose by now you’ve all heard we have a guest.” Leo looked around at the clan gathered in the living room. The only ones missing were Don and Sarah, and their new guest. Seeing no objections, he continued. “When we went on patrol last night, we broke up a trafficking ring. Liling was among the victims.”

Yoshi frowned. “Why not turn her over to the authorities? It’d probably be better for her.”

Leo shook his head. “She told us that her father was the one who sold her to the ring in the first place. If we had, they would have returned her to him.” April scowled with anger at this information.

Ona sat with Kara in her lap. “How long is she going to be staying?”

“We’re going to see if any of our friends in Chinatown can take her in. If not, then she’ll be staying with us from now on.” The younger members of the family looked confused and a bit uncertain. Leo frowned. “You all remember the story of how Master Splinter took us four in when no one else in the world would have. This child is no different. It’s unlikely that anyone else will be willing to take her. Don and Sarah have already agreed to care for her.” This time there were many more affirming nods of understanding.

Kaz leaned forward. “So, we’re kinda like adopting her?”

Mikey smiled. “Yeah, just like that.”

“Right now all she speaks is Mandarin, but I’m sure it won’t take long for her to learn English.” Mira explained.

K-three smiled as well. “At least it’ll give Katsu someone to play with. They’re pretty close in age.” Katsu frowned. He wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to play with some girl, but it wasn’t like he had a choice. It was Liling or Kara, and currently all Kara did was either chew on his toys or break them. This girl was older so it might be fun.

Leo gave a nod. “Speaking of which, it’s time for your lesson Katsu.”

“Alright!” The boy jumped up to follow his great-uncle into the dojo.

The room broke into excited murmurs as most of the younger family members had not met the girl yet. “We do need to get her some clothes. We don’t have anything here that will fit her.” Mira told Cat.

“Maybe we should go get her some before she wakes up.” Cat suggested.

Mira nodded. “That’s not a bad idea.” The two rose and headed for the dojo to get a holo. Raph and K-three exchanged a look before both followed them. Neither was willing to let the girls wander around without at least one of them as an escort.

Kara yawned in Ona’s lap. “I think it’s someone’s nap time.”

“I’ll take her up.” Mikey offered, bending to pick up his granddaughter. “Come on, angel.” Kara giggled and wiggled as he picked her up and they started for the stairs.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the large wooden front door. The group still gathered in the living room fell quiet. No one was expecting any deliveries and everyone was home at the moment. Jamie stood up, looking questioningly around the room. “Did anyone order takeout?” There was a round of murmured no’s.

Kaz started to get up with a worried frown. “I’ll answer it.”

Jamie waved him off. “No, I’m sure it’s nothing. I’ll see who it is.” Stepping around the dividing wall that prevented prying eyes from seeing directly into their home, she checked the security camera. The wide angle lens gave a broad view of the front of the old hotel. A woman stood there, looking rather uncertain and a bit anxious. Out of pure habit, Jamie scanned the street beyond and the areas close to the door. She didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Slowly she unlocked the heavy deadbolt and opened the door just a few inches. “Can I help you?”

The woman shifted from foot to foot. “Um, yeah, I was looking for someone. I was told she might live here. Star Madison.”

Jamie raised a brow. “Star?” She gave the woman a better look. She had shoulder length stringy blonde hair and pale blue eyes. The woman was also very thin, almost boney.

“Yeah, does she live here?” The woman looked around. “Cause this place looks like a hotel.”

“It was a long time ago.” Still a bit uncertain of the woman, Jamie called over her shoulder. “Star!”

The chatter in the living room died down a bit and Star stepped up beside Jamie. “What is it?”

“This woman says she knows you.” Jamie watched as Star’s eyes grew large.

The woman smiled, showing off her yellow and black teeth. “Hi.”

Instead of responding to the woman, Star looked back at Jamie. “It’s alright, Aunt Jamie. I’ll take care of this.”

Jamie’s frown deepened. “Is everything alright? Do you want me to get Yoshi?”

Star shook her head. “No, it’s fine. This’ll only take a minute.” She stepped outside and pulled the door shut. Jamie returned to the living room, but she stood looking over her shoulder at the closed door. Something about that woman gave her a bad feeling.

Yoshi turned on the couch to look back at her. “Anything wrong?”

She shook her head at a bit of a loss. “I really don’t know.”

Outside, Star walked several paces away from the door before turning and glaring at the woman. “What are you doing here? How did you find me?”

The woman frowned. “What? No hello or how have you been?”

“I don’t really care how you’ve been.” Star snapped.

The woman continued to frown. “And what’s with this Aunt Jamie business? Who was that woman?”

Star’s pale blue eyes were cold. “That is none of your business!”

The woman narrowed her eyes. “It is my business. I’m your mother.”

“You could’ve fooled me!” Star jabbed a finger at her. “You need to leave! Now!”

“I had to do a lot of favors to find you. So, you can at least hear what I came to say.”

Star knew exactly what she meant by “favors.” “I know what you want and you’re not getting one red cent out of me! Leave and don’t come back!”

Her mother’s temper flared. “I’m your family! Not that woman!”

Star clenched her fists at her side. “No, you’re not! They have been more of a family to me in the past four years, than you have my entire life!” Star began to march past her back to the door, but her mother caught her arm. The two locked angry gazes.


	3. Confession

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember any part marked with { } means the person is speaking Mandarin.

“Star?” Yoshi had stepped out the door wearing his holo. He eyed the woman with her hands on his wife. “You okay?”

Star jerked her arm away from her mother, eyes still locked. She started back towards the door again.

“I wouldn’t have come, if I had any other option.” Her mother continued.

Star didn’t look back. “I am _not_ an option.”

Her mother’s voice took on a pleading edge. “I’ll take anything.” Star continued towards the door. “They’ll kill me!”

Star paused barely a foot in front of Yoshi. She turned her head to look at her mother out of the corner of her eye, gaze as cold as ice. “Good.”

Her mother gasped, her eyes growing wide. “How can you say that? So, you’re just going to let me die!”

This time Star didn’t look at her. “Yeah, just like you did me.” She lifted her head and Yoshi saw pain flicker through her pale blue eyes. His body tensed and he scowled at the stranger. He took Star’s hand and ushered her past him through the door.

“Star!” Her mother cried after her.

Yoshi glowered at the woman. “I don’t know exactly what’s goin’ on here. But it’s obvious, she don’t want nothin’ to do with you. I suggest ya leave, before somebody makes ya.”

The woman glared at him, pointing into the house. “That’s my daughter!”

Yoshi couldn’t suppress the growl that left him. “No. That’s _my_ wife.” The woman’s eyes grew large again and her mouth hung open, as Yoshi turned and shut the door on her, making sure to lock it. He spotted Star headed up the staircase and he hurried after her. He finally caught up with her in the hall. “Hey…” Catching her wrist, he turned her to him. He lifted her chin and took in a sharp breath at the tears running down her cheeks.

“I’m sorry.” She half croaked out. “I’m sorry.”

He frowned, brushing away the tears. “What’re ya sorry ‘bout, doll?”

“I never thought she’d find me. Or at least I hoped she’d never find me again.”

“She said she was your mother.” He said softly.

Star snorted. “Some mother.”

He frowned at her. “I thought ya said you didn’t know your parents.”

“My “mother”,” she made air quotes with her hands, “left me in a dumpster when I was born. She was so strung out that she didn’t even bother to take me somewhere that someone might find me. I don’t think that qualifies as a mother. I’m lucky to not have come out a crack-baby.” She sighed, looking up at him. “I didn’t mean to lie to you though. I hadn’t seen her for a long time when we met. I honestly didn’t know if she was still alive.” She touched his cheek. “And then I found out how good you guys are at staying off the grid. I just thought…”

“She’d never find you.” She gave a small nod and he drew her against him. His large hands rubbing gentle circles on her back. “Do ya think she’ll come back?”

She wrapped her arms tightly around him and took in a shuddering breath. “I…I don’t know.”

He frowned, considering the new information. This woman could be trouble, especially if someone was after her. They didn’t need any unwanted attention. He sighed. “We’re goin’ to have to tell the others.” She tensed in his arms, obviously not liking the idea. “I’m sorry.” He murmured as he buried his nose in her hair.

She took in another deep breath. “It’s okay. I understand.” She buried her face against him. “But first, could you hold me for a little while.”

Yoshi’s arms tightened around her. “Anything you want, doll. Anything at all.”

*&*&*&*&*&*&*

Liling sat up in the soft bed and looked around the room. Though it was rather sparse it was light and airy, a stark contrast from what she’d endured the past week. She almost felt like a princess, siting under the warm covers, clean and full for once. A smile crept across her face. Although it had been strange to meet the four large turtles, she hadn’t been frightened of them. She had more reason to fear human men than these creatures. And she remembered stories her mother had told her as a small child about the giant turtle that helped to form the world. Obviously, they weren’t those types of turtles, but it still put her at ease in some way.

And to discover there was a whole family of them living in this massive home was amazing. She couldn’t help but wonder how big the place was and how many more might live there. She’d already met four more and she recalled hearing many more voices in the next room while in the kitchen. The human women too seemed very kind, especially the one that reminded her of her mother. A tear trickled down her cheek and she quickly swept it away. It had been more than five years and sometimes it was hard to remember her, particularly when her father had taken his frustrations out on her.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed away the old memories. They had promised she wouldn’t have to go back there. Slipping from the bed, she wondered what to do. Should she go find Mira or Sarah? Or should she wait for someone to come get her? She remember Mira telling her something, but she couldn’t remember exactly what she’d said. Music came from the hall and curiosity took over. She crossed the floor and opened the door. It seemed to be coming from another room down the hall. Listening, she moved a little closer. She’d never heard that kind of music before.

The door opened and she froze. The turtle she’d seen earlier stepped out. He blinked at her in surprise and then his brow furrowed. “Hey, isn’t that my…” Shinta shook his head with a little laugh. His t-shirt came down to the girl’s knees.

Liling relaxed a little when he laughed. But she couldn’t remember his name. She pointed at herself “{I’m Liling. What’s your name?}”

Shinta frowned. This might be a bit of a problem, since only his cousin and uncle could speak her language. Those born into the Hamato family could all speak some level of Japanese, but only the four brothers spoke it fluently. Which they did from time to time, when they didn’t want anyone else to know what they were talking about. The girl repeated herself first pointing to herself and then him. “Oh, you want to know my name. I guess we did miss that earlier.” He pointed to himself. “I’m Shinta.”

She smiled. “Shinta.”

He nodded. “I suppose you’re looking for Aunt Sarah. Come on, I’ll show you.” He gestured for her to follow him. He led the way down the stairs to the third floor and knocked at their door.

Sarah answered it while running a brush through her hair. She smiled. “Up already?”

“I found her in the hall upstairs. I figured she was looking for you.”

Sarah smiled at Shinta. “I hope you don’t mind that I borrowed one of your t-shirts.”

He chuckled. “Nah, she can keep it. I think that one was getting too small anyways.” He was now twenty and nearly the same height as Leo, though his build was a bit more slender.

Sarah patted his cheek. “You need to stop growing.”

Donnie appeared behind her. “If you had it your way, they’d all still be babies.”

She shrugged with a smile. “True.”

Shinta chuckled. “Dinner’s ready. I’ll see you guys downstairs.”

As he left, Sarah examined the girl standing in the hall with nothing but a giant t-shirt hanging off her thin body. “Now, what are we going to do about clothes? You can’t very well go around just wearing a t-shirt.”

“We can fix that.” Cat and Mira appeared at the end of the hall carrying several shopping bags.

Don’s eyes widened. “Uh, I think I’ll meet you downstairs too. This may take a while.” Sarah giggled as he gave her a quick peck, then escaped down the hall.

Liling smiled at Mira as she held up a bag. “{We brought you some clothes.}”

Her eyes lit up. She couldn’t recall ever getting new clothes. “{Really?}”

Mira nodded with her own smile. “{Yes. Let’s see if they fit.}”

*&*&*&*&*&*&*

“How’s the kid?” Raph sat at the table across from Donnie.

“She seems to be adjusting, but it’s hard to tell since she’s been here such a short time.” Don filled his plate.

Ona had made supper, knowing that Sarah was still sleeping. And Kaz was trying to enjoy it with Kara in his lap. The problem was the three-year-old kept swiping his food. After the second slice of pizza was stolen, he decided not to set it on his plate. Instead he held it out of her reach. “Daddy!” The tot protested trying to nab it.

He chuckled as he chewed a bite. “Daddy’s hungry too.”

Jamie laughed. “She definitely has your appetite, Mikey.” Beside her, Leo couldn’t help but chuckle too.

Mikey grinned. “That just means she’ll be as awesome as me.”

K-three laughed as he filled Katsu a plate. “I guess we better hope the garage picks up business or you three will eat us out of house and home.” Shinta couldn’t suppress the snicker where he sat between Jamie and Kaz.

Ona giggled too as she slid into the seat beside Kaz. “You’re going to have to learn to feed her first, otherwise you’ll never get to eat.” She filled a plate with more appropriate toddler foods. Kara grinned when her mother set in front of her.

Raph looked around the room. “Hey, where’s Yoshi and Star?” His son was another one that was never late for dinner.

Jamie frowned. “They went upstairs after that woman came to the door. Yoshi didn’t look very happy either.”

Leo frowned. “What woman?”

Jamie shrugged. “This woman came to the door and asked for Star. She went outside with her and then Yoshi went too. When they came in, they both disappeared upstairs.”

Concern marred Raphael’s face. “They ain’t come back down?” Jamie shook her head.

“When did this happen?” Leo felt a touch of concern as well.

“Right after the meeting.”

That had been more than two hours ago. Raph pushed back from the table. “I’ll go check on ‘em.” But as he started to stand, Yoshi and Star appeared. And just as Jamie had said, neither looked very happy. They both sat down and quietly began filling their plates.

“Who was your visitor?” Leo prompted.

Star fidgeted and Yoshi squeezed her hand. He frowned down at her before answering. “She was Star’s birth mother.”

The room fell quiet and Star clenched her eyes closed feeling everyone watching her. “I don’t know how she found me.”

“I thought there was a resemblance.” Jamie said.

Don frowned. “Your mother is alive?”

Star bit her lip. “Like I told Yoshi, I don’t think she qualifies as a mother.”

Raph felt an angry protectiveness grow in his chest. “What’d she want?”

Star scowled, anger resentment seeping into her eyes. “The same thing she wanted the last two times I’ve seen her - money.”

Leo’s frown intensified. “Why do I have a feeling there is more to this story?”

Yoshi frowned back. “Because there is. We were gonna tell ya ‘bout it after dinner.”

Jamie could see how much this was upsetting Star. She squeezed Leo’s hand and he met her gaze momentarily. He nodded. “Alright, after dinner.”

About that time the girls arrived from upstairs. Sarah grinned as they entered. Behind her was Liling wearing a yellow dress with a yellow bow in her hair. She blushed as everyone turned to look at her. Sarah slipped her arms around Donnie’s neck from behind. “Isn’t she adorable!”

He chuckled, but the answer came from Jamie. “Yes, she is!”

Mikey smiled as well. “Totally.”

Leo smiled at the girl. “It’s certainly an improvement over last night.” Shinta gave a small nod of agreement.

“It’d better be. Me and K-three had to go to ten different stores with these two.” Raph grumbled gesturing at his wife and niece. But he had to admit, even Liling seemed more at ease in the new clothes.

Cat smiled as she sat next to him. “We told you that you didn’t have to come, tough guy.”

He smirked. “Darlin’, you ain’t goin’ nowhere without me.” Cat grinned, leaning up to kiss his cheek.

Sarah motioned Liling to the chair beside her, while Mira went to sit next to Katsu. Liling’s eyes grew wide as she looked on the large spread and all the new family members she hadn’t met yet.

Yoshi’s brow furrowed. For some reason he’d thought she would be older. “How old is she?”

“She’s just turned eleven.” Mira provided as she started to fill her plate.

Ona’s expression dropped as she felt her heart break for the child. She looked down at her own daughter. What kind of person would throw away their own child like that? Kaz frowned down at her and slipped his arm around her, placing a warm kiss in her hair.

Further down the table April had much the same reaction as Yoshi had. She could remember a story she’d done about human trafficking many years ago. But she recalled that most had been older teens. It broke her heart to see a small girl involved in such a terrible thing.

After dinner they settled down to hear Star’s story. She explained she’d been left in a dumpster on Madison Street. Luckily a man had heard her crying and pulled her out within a few hours after her birth.

“I first met Kristy Nevelle when I was eight. I don’t know how she found me or why. I think it may have been because the couple that had me at the time were talking about adopting me. One day she shows up out of the blue. Whatever she told them, they decided not to adopt me.” Star sighed. “I was sent back into the system. While they were trying to place me, I heard one of the caseworkers say that she was trying to get me back. At the time I didn’t understand why she’d all-of-sudden want me, when she threw me away like trash. Later on I figured out that she didn’t want me, she wanted the check that came with me.” Yoshi’s hand tightened around hers. “I didn’t see her again until I was fifteen. I had a little summer job on Coney Island. She shows up and gives me this long sob story about how her boyfriend beat her and threw her out. And she immediately starts asking me for money.”

Star’s jaw tightened. “I didn’t know it at the time, but she was using it to buy drugs. I only gave her a few bucks, but that was all it took. Almost every day she showed up asking if I had any more. It didn’t take long for me to figure out her game.” Star sighed again. “I ended up quitting that job just so I could get away from her.”

Leo sat forward with a deep frown. “How do you think she found you?”

Star shook her head. “I don’t know for sure, but I guessed she must know someone who had access to the system and was keeping tabs on me.” She frowned. “But I don’t know how she found me this time. I’m sorry. If I’d thought she could find me, I would have said something a long time ago.”

Raph put a hand on her arm, his expression sad. “This ain’t your fault, kiddo.”

“It certainly isn’t.” Leo rubbed his chin in thought, before looking up at his brother. “Don, do you think we could purge her file from the system?”

Don nodded. “Well, yes. But how much good would that do us now?”

“It would at least make this woman’s contact useless.” Leo said flatly.

Sarah shook her head. “But that doesn’t change the fact that she knows where Star is now.” Yoshi wrapped his arms around his spouse protectively.

K-three shifted beside Mira. “It doesn’t sound like she’s any kind of threat, more of a nuisance. We’ll just have to be extra vigilant for a while.”

Mira nodded. “We can pull her image from the security system and make sure everyone knows what she looks like.”

Yoshi frowned. “There is one other thing. When she came by earlier she said if she didn’t get some money, that someone was goin’ to kill her.”

Mikey folded his arms. “It sounds like she might be mixed up in something.”

Leo’s frown deepened. “Well, we’re not going to let her get us mixed up in too.” His dark blue eyes met Star’s pale ones. “You’re a member of this family, Star. And you know we take care of our own. If she bothers you, all you have to do is say something. We’ll take care of it.”

“That’s right.” Raph said firmly. “We ain’t gonna let her hurt ya or get ya hurt.”

Cat had sat quietly between Raph and Star. But an angry fire was blazing in her emerald eyes. “No, we won’t.”


	4. Chance Encounter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember any part marked with { } means the person is speaking Mandarin.
> 
> Father’s elder brother 伯父/ 伯伯 bófù/ bóbo  
> Father’s younger brother 叔父/ 叔叔 shúfù/ shūshu  
> Older sister 姊姊/ 大姊/ 老姊 jiě jie/ dà zǐ/ lǎo zǐ
> 
> Reference is https://www.tutormandarin.net/en/chinese-family-tree/

Kristy was thrown to her knees in front of the gang’s leader, Fachen Wang. He squatted down in front of her. “Well, where is it?”

She stared up at him wide-eyed. “I-I don’t have it.”

“You assured my associates,” he gestured at the men surrounding them, “you would have the money by now.”

“I’ve almost got it! I just need a little more time!” She reached out to touch his jacket and smiled coyly. “Unless I can give you something else in exchange for it.”

Wang made a face, grabbing her chin roughly. “I’m afraid that is not worth anything coming from you.” He stood up. “Take care of her.”

“Wait! Please! I just need two more days!”

Wang looked down at her skeptically. “I’ve already given you plenty of time.”

“Just two more days! I swear I’ll have it!” She begged.

He frowned. “Alright, two more days. If I don’t have it by then, I’m going to get my money out of you one way or another.” He looked at one of his men. “Make sure she remembers it.”

The world spun as one man slapped her and another kicked her in the stomach. A few more punches and a kick in the ribs, left Kristy a lump of flesh on the ground. She coughed as the men left her on the cold concrete beneath the overpass. As she tried to catch her breath, a white van pulled up and two men got out.

“Fuhan, my old friend. What brings you down here?” Wang grabbed one man’s hand in a friendly handshake.

Fuhan Li frowned. “Bad news. Our shipment the other night was hit.”

Wang raised a brow. “How many did you lose?”

“My man says all of them, except one, are in custody.”

Wang shook his head. “That’s a bad break my friend. It probably cost you.”

Li huffed. “It nearly put me under. But I have a way that just might keep us above water. The one that got away. She’s prime, young, never been used. If we can find her, we can make back a large chunk of what we lost.” He handed Wang a photo. “Let me know if you see her and I’ll cut you in.”

Wang frowned at the picture. “Green eyes? That’s rare.”

Li smirked. “Yes, it brings up her price too.”

Wang grinned. “I’ll definitely let you know.” The men shook hands, and Li and his partner left. Wang turned to see Kristy watching him from the ground. He approached her and grabbed a fist full of her hair. He hauled her back to her knees. “Get my money, whore, or I’ll introduce you to my friend there.” He backhanded her and she fell back to the ground. Her eyes latched onto the photo of the young Chinese girl with dark green eyes, before she closed them and passed out.

*&*&*&*&*&*&*

Leo sighed. “No, it’s alright Mr. Huang. We understand. Thank you for trying anyways.” He hung up his cell and looked across the room to where Liling and Katsu were chasing each other. It had been a little more than a week since the young girl had come to stay with them. In that time they had contacted several people in Chinatown to see if anyone was willing to take the child in, but they’d had no luck. Mr. Huang had been the last of their contacts.

On the couch, Sarah giggled and Don smiled as they watched the kids play. From time to time, Kaz would fuss when they’d get a little too close to Kara where she was playing on the floor. Katsu would flat out ignore him, but Liling would slow and be a little more cautious. She had already started picking up on words and phrases. Mira had been teaching her and it was a little surprising just how fast she was learning.

Raph stepped from the staircase near where Leo was standing. “What’s with the face?”

Leo glanced up at him and gave another heavy sigh. “I just talked with Mr. Huang. He said that he hasn’t been able to find Liling a new home.”

Raph raised an eye-ridge and smirked. “Somethin’ tells me, they ain’t gonna mind that news one bit.”

Leo looked up to watch the group in the living room again. Liling giggled as she finally tagged Katsu and the two changed directions as he started to chase her. Leo couldn’t help the smile. The girl had brought new life into their household. There was no denying that she was already a part of their family. Even if she had gone to live with someone else, she would have always been welcome there. Leo gave Raph a nod of agreement, before approaching the group. Don looked up at him as he stopped beside the couch. “So, I just talked with Mr. Huang. He wasn’t able to find anyone either. It looks like Liling will be staying with us.”

It hurt Donnie to think that no one was willing to take in such an innocent child. But he also felt a measure of relief.  He, Sarah and Mira had become particularly attached to the girl. She was soft-spoken and kind hearted. He’d been a bit afraid that someone else might take advantage of those characteristics in her. Sarah’s warm happiness swept over him through the bond and he smiled down at her.

“Liling.” He called, gaining the child’s attention. She immediately paused in their game and came to stand in front of him. He smiled. “{Do you remember when we told you that you may be going to stay with a human family?}” She frowned and nodded. “{Well, would you like to stay here instead?}”

Her eyes lit up. “{Can I?}”

He chuckled. “{Yes, you can.}”

Leo watched as she threw her arms around his brother’s neck with the biggest smile. Donnie closed his eyes and returned the hug tenderly. Raph elbowed him. “Told ya.”

Leo laughed. “You were right – for once.” He looked down when there was a soft tug at his hand.

Liling smiled up at him. “Thank you, bófù.” She wrapped her arms around his waist in a warm hug.

Leo’s smile grew as he returned it. “You’re very welcome.”

At that moment, Kaz and Shinta came through the dojo door laughing, followed by a sulking Yoshi. Behind them, Mikey and Star trailed, both snickering. Kaz threw an arm around his youngest cousin. “That was epic! We’re going to have to tag-team him more often!”

Shinta grinned and laughed. “Did you see his face when he hit the mat!”

“I can hear you two!” Yoshi grumbled behind them.

Mikey looked around the room at the grinning faces sensing that something was up. “What’s goin’ on?”

Liling jumped out of Sarah’s lap, where she’d climbed up and was hugging her. She ran up to him with the biggest smile he’d seen her wear. “Shúfù, I stay! I stay!”

Mikey glanced at Leo, who gave an affirming nod. His own smile spread as he knelt down in front of her. “That’s awesome, little dudette!” He laughed when she hugged his neck.

Sarah smiled. “I think this calls for an ice cream run.”

Donnie chuckled. “That sounds like a great idea.”

Star glanced at Yoshi, who was still pouting over his lost match, though his demeanor had lightened a bit at the news. “That does sound really good. I think we’ll join you.”

Yoshi raised an eye-ridge at her, but didn’t object. He had a tendency to let her have her way most of the time. “I’ll grab us some holos.”

“Anyone else want to join us?” Don asked as Yoshi left. There were a series of no’s. He glanced at Leo as he stood. “You sure?”

Leo smiled and shook his head. “That’s alright, you guys have fun.”

Yoshi returned and handed his uncle one of the boxy units. By now Liling had seen them use the strange little machines several times, but they still fascinated her. “We’ll be back in a little while then.” Don opened the front door, as Sarah took Liling’s hand and they stepped outside.

As they walked down the sidewalk, Star wrapped her arms around one of Yoshi’s, resting her cheek against his large bicep. “Don’t be grumpy. They won fair and square.”

He glanced down at her, relaxing under her touch. “I’m not bein’ grumpy.”

She laughed. “Yes, you are. But a little rocky road should fix that.” He snorted, but a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

Liling hung close to Sarah and Don as they maneuvered the busy street. There was an ice cream parlor about two blocks away. He squeezed his wife’s hand and smiled. He could still feel her warm happiness inside him and it matched his own. “I think she’s happy.” He said softly, gaining a small chuckle from her. His smile spread. “And I know you are.”

She nodded. “A part of me really hated the idea of her going to stay with someone else, even if her life would have been a bit more normal.” She smiled up at him. “But you know, normal is rather boring.”

He laughed, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her close. “Well, we’ll never have to worry about that.” They had reached the parlor and Don explained the flavors to Liling. She decided on a scoop of strawberry and a scoop of vanilla. The rest got their own cones and they sat a table outside. “So, you lost, huh?”

Yoshi gave an annoyed little growl. “Cheatin’ little punk.”

Don smirked. “There’s no such thing in ninjutsu. What did they do?”

“Shinta was jumpin’ around like a danged frog. I took my eye off him for one second ‘cause Kaz was comin’ at me and the runt jumped me from behind.”

Don chuckled. “Mikey must have taught him that one. It sounds like one of his moves.”

Yoshi huffed. “Yeah, well next time I’m gonna-“

“Star?”

The group turned to see Kristy approach. She was sporting a black eye. Yoshi came out of his chair, but Star put a hand on his arm. She glared at the woman. “I already told you to get lost.”

Kristy frowned. “I just wanna talk.”

Yoshi growled. “Well, she don’t wanna talk to you!”

Kristy took a step forward. “Just give me five minutes, Star. Is that so much to ask!”

Donatello stood now and the woman took a step back. “It is for you.”

Kristy frowned and tried to step around him. “Star, just listen to me-!“

Don stepped into her path, glaring. “Star is a member of our family and she has made it very clear that she wants nothing to do with you.” He narrowed his eyes. “Leave. Now.”

Kristy’s frown turned into a scowl. “Your family?” Her eyes darted around the table taking in the group. When her gaze settled on Liling, Sarah wrapped her protectively in her arms and glared back. Taking in the rather hostile group that now surrounded her daughter, she threw her hand in the air. “Fine!” She pointed at Star. “Remember, all I wanted to do was talk!” She turned on her pointed stiletto heel and stalked off down the sidewalk.

Yoshi settled back in his chair, pulling Star towards him and kissing her brow. Donnie frowned as he turned back to see the frightened look in Liling’s eyes. Sitting down, he patted her back. “It’s alright.” She gave a small nod and he sighed. “We should go home.”

He met Sarah’s gaze and she too nodded. “I think that’s best.”

*&*&*&*&*&*&*

Kristy fumed as she walked down the sidewalk. She’d worked hard to find her daughter for it to only turn out like this. She’d had to do a lot of favors. It seemed the family she was now with was well off. They were probably loaded living in that huge place of theirs. If she could have only gotten Star alone, she might have been able to convince her to loan her what she needed. Her scowl returned. But that man had to interfere! Who did he think he was keeping her from her daughter!

Suddenly, a hand locked on each of her arms. She gasped as she was pulled into an alley. The two men spun her around and shoved her into the wall. She recognized them as Wang’s men. “I have until tonight!”

One man grabbed her chin, forcing her head back against the wall. “Oh, we’re not here to collect yet. We’re just here to remind you just how serious Mr. Wang is.”

“This is your last chance, whore. If you don’t come up with the ten grand by tonight, he’s going to be irritated.” The second man got very close. “And believe me, you don’t want to see him irritated.”

Kristy squirmed, her heart racing. Then she remembered something. Such a little thing, but it could be her only break. “What if I could give him something that was worth a lot more to him?”

The first man laughed. “You don’t have anything he’d want.”

“No, but I know where to find it.”


	5. Taken

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember any part marked with { } means the person is speaking Mandarin.  
> 伯父 bó fù father's older brother  
> 叔父 shū fù father's younger brother  
> 姐姐 jiě jie older sister

Star curled a little deeper into Yoshi’s chest and his arms tightened around her. “I’m sorry for all this.”

He frowned, pulling her even closer. “This ain’t your fault, doll.”

“Yes, it is.” Her voice cracked. “If it wasn’t for me, none of you would have to deal with her.”

He leaned back and tilted her face up to meet his eyes. “I promised to be with you through the good and the bad. And if you haven’t noticed, we’re pretty good at takin’ care of the bad. I love you – all of you. Past, present and future.”

She scooted up so she could kiss him. It was salty, laced with her tears. “I love you so much.”

He stroked a large thumb down her cheek, brushing away the trailing tears. “I love ya too. And I ain’t gonna let nobody hurt ya, especially not her.”

She gave him a weak watery smile and brushed her fingers along his jaw and down his throat. “What did I ever do to deserve someone like you?”

His expression remained serious and his green eyes shined with conviction. “You deserve everything I could ever hope to give ya and a million times more.”

Her smile became mischievous. “I know something you can give me right now.”

He smirked as her scent hit him. “You don’t even have to ask for that, doll.” She giggled as he rolled them over with a playful growl and delivered a passionate kiss.

*&*&*&*&*&*&*

“How do I always get roped into grocery shopping?” Kaz grumbled, leaning heavily on the shopping cart.

Ona chuckled. “You know you like it. You always get to pick your favorites.”

Pushing a second shopping cart behind the couple were Mira, Star, and Liling. The girl had wanted to come along with them. Sarah had been rather reluctant to let Liling go, but Mira had convinced her that the child would be fine with both her and Kaz there. “How’d you convince Yoshi to let you out of his sight?”

Star frowned. “I kinda didn’t. He and Raph were sparing when we left. I figured he’d be okay with it since both you and Kaz are with us.”

Mira gave her a small smile. “Just needed a breather, huh?”

Star let out a heavy sigh. “I know he’s worried, but sometimes he gets a little too overprotective.”

Mira gave a small laugh. “They all are from time to time. But they usually have a good reason for it.”

“Yeah, I know.” Star glanced at Liling, who was spying the lollipops.

She’d really liked the one Mikey had given her the night they’d met. She turned towards them and pointed. “Can I, jiějie?”

Mira smiled. “Yes.” She chuckled when she was rewarded with a big smile and a little bounce from the girl.

Kaz yawned. “Are we done yet?”

Both Ona and Mira looked down at their lists. Ona nodded. “I’ve got all mine.”

“Me too.” Mira agreed.

“Finally!” Kaz pushed his cart towards the checkout. A little while later the group started for home, all carrying bags. Even Liling carried a bag with bread and rolls in one hand, the other occupied by the lollipop. “We really need to start bringing the van.”

Ona shot him a look. “Okay, grouchy. I’ll get Shinta to come next time.” Kaz made a face. She’d known that would get his attention. He was still nervous about her being out without him after the incident with her step-father.

He sighed. “No, you don’t need to do that.”

A blue van pulled up along side them. Both Kaz and Mira immediately went on alert. So when the door flew open and four men jumped out the back and one the front, they were already tossing their bags to the side. The two went into a defensive stance, while behind them Star grabbed Liling and pulled her back away from the street and their attackers.

Kaz glared. “Back off!”

“Ona, call home!” Mira called over her shoulder.

Ona went for her phone, but there was a small scream. The three turned to see four more men had come up the alley behind them. The thugs had been told the group was aggressive and they’d come prepared with plenty of backup. Liling had been the one to scream, where she now dangled from one man’s arms. She was kicking and swinging, trying to get free. But it wasn’t making much difference. The man holding her covered her mouth, muffling her cries.

Beside her, two more men had Star pinned between them. She too was trying to pull away, but the men were much larger than her. She managed to slam the heel of her boot into one man’s foot. The large man grunted, then backhanded her. Star went limp, the world spinning around her.

Mira took a step towards them, but froze at the sound of a pistol cocking. Ona stared straight ahead. She could feel the barrel pressed against the back of her skull. “Don’t move or this one will decorate the sidewalk with her brains.” The man behind her grinned wickedly.

Kaz growled, rage burning through his entire body. “Get away from her!” The man behind Ona shoved the barrel harder against her head, making her gasp. Kaz’s eyes grew wide. He glanced around. They were way outnumbered and very outgunned as well. “Don’t…”

“You two on the ground! Now!” The man holding the pistol ordered.

Kaz glanced at Mira. If it had been just the two of them or even the three, they might have made a move. But it wasn’t just them. Star and Liling were also being held at gunpoint. There were only two of them and nine armed enemies that would have to be taken all at once. The odds of success were very slim. The two seemed to come to the same conclusion at the same time.

Mira put up her hands. “Okay, just don’t hurt anyone.” She and Kaz slowly went down to their knees. “What do you want with us?”

“On the ground – all the way!” The man barked again. They moved slowly down, all the while Kaz’s eyes never left the man holding the gun on his wife. “You too! Down now!” He shoved Ona and she fell to her knees. “On your face!” He shoved her again, this time causing her to fall forward on the cement. She hissed as it caused a scrape along her cheek and the palm of one hand.

Kaz snarled. “Hey, watch it!”

Mira was watching Liling, who had tears streaming her face. “Let her go! She’s just little girl!”

The leader chuckled. “Now why would I do that? She’s the reason we’re here.”

“What do ya wanna do with ‘em?” Asked one of the men standing over Kaz.

The leader looked them all over. “These three aren’t worth anything, but the blonde might be. Take her too.”

“No!” Mira started to get up.

“Stay down!” The man nearest her kicked her in the side of the head causing a cut above her left eye.

She growled and raised defiant brown eyes to glare at him. “You’re going to regret that.” Her mate and father were almost there, she could feel them less than a block away.

The leader seemed to pick up on this. “We got what we came for. Load up.” And as fast as the gang had appeared, they were gone.

Kaz sprang to his feet as the blue van pulled away. He gave chase for nearly half a block, but it was moving too fast. He stopped as it disappeared around a far corner. “Damn it!”

“Mira!” K-three’s voice rang out a moment before he appeared, followed closely by the rest of the males in the family. Rushing to her side, he knelt down. “Are you alright?” He frowned at the cut on her forehead.

She wasn’t concerned about herself as she got quickly to her feet. “Star! Liling! They took them!”

“What!” Yoshi roared. He turned to glare at Kaz, where he was now knelt beside Ona. “You let them take her!”

He glared back, an arm locked around his wife. “I didn’t _let_ them do anything!”

“Enough!” Leo ordered, immediately receiving silence. “Mira, what happened?”

“A blue van pulled up with six men, including the driver, all armed. There must have been another van waiting at the other end of the alley though, because more came up behind us.” She pointed up the alleyway. “That’s the way they took Liling and Star. They said that they were here for Liling.”

“Anything else?” Leo looked between the two.

“I did get a partial plate from the one that took off this way.” Kaz told them. “Don’t know if it’ll do any good though. It’s probably stolen.”

Leo frowned. “Mira, you and Ona get back to the lair. Run the plate anyways. It might give us something. K-three take your team and see if you can follow the van that left this way. We’ll take the other one.”

K-three looked down at Mira and she gave a firm nod, reassuring him that she was fine. He turned to the others. “Come on, if we cut across the rooves maybe we can spot them.” He hadn’t finished his sentence and Yoshi was already climbing the nearest fire-escape.

Leo looked up to find Donnie was already at the other end of the alley. They found him examining some tire marks. “Have you found anything, Don?”

The genius stood, shaking his head. He turned worried eyes on his brothers. “I promised her she’d be safe with us.”

Mikey put a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry, bro. We’ll get her back.”

Raph clutched his sais. “We’ll get both of ‘em back.”

*&*&*&*&*&*&*

When Ona and Mira stepped into the lair, they found Cat and Jamie trying to restrain Sarah. She broke free and rushed to throw her arms around Mira. “Are you alright!” She stepped back and frowned at the cut on her head. She switched off her daughter’s holo so she could better assess the wound.

Mira couldn’t fight her tears any more. Her voice choked as she spoke. “Mom, they took them. They took Liling and Star…I’m sorry.”

Sarah paled, pressing a hand to her mouth. Behind her, anger crossed Cat’s face. “What! They took Star too! Why!”

Ona shook her head. She’d lost the battle for her tears some time ago. “They said they were there for Liling, but when they saw Star…”

Cat growled, her nails digging into her palms. They were going to try sell Star too!

*&*&*&*&*&*&*

Yoshi let out a roar as he slammed a fist into the brick wall. They’d been searching for three hours with nothing to show for it! The people that had taken them could be anywhere by now!

“Alright, we’ll head back.” K-three hung up his cell to look at the younger turtles. “We’re going back to the lair. We need to regroup and see if we can find some other lead.”

Shinta frowned as he watched Yoshi slam another fist into the wall. He started to take a step towards him, but Kaz caught his arm. He shook his head. Yoshi was a lit fuse at the moment, he’d take his frustration out on anyone he could get his hands on. And if anyone deserved his wrath at the moment it was him. Taking a deep breath, Kaz stepped forward and put a hand on hot-headed cousin’s shoulder. “Yoshi, we’re gonna find her. Now, come on. We need to get back.”

One sharp green eye glared at him over his shoulder, before the larger turtle spun and nailed him right in the chin. Kaz stumbled back and Shinta caught him. The youngest cousin’s eyes were big in surprise. Yoshi snarled. “You’d better hope we do.” He stalked past them headed for home.

K-three frowned. He never liked it when Kaz and Yoshi squabbled. But in this case he couldn’t blame the younger turtle. He knew the fury burning through him at the moment. Allowing a little space between them, he looked back at Kaz. “You alright?”

He stood up and brushed Shinta’s hands off him. “Fine.” He grumbled before sprinting off after Yoshi. He’d deserved that. He was supposed to be watching out for them. It hadn’t been that long ago, he’d been in Yoshi’s shoes – desperate and angry.

They arrived back at the lair to find the rest of the clan in no better mood. Raphael and Donatello were pacing back and forth, while Leo pinched between his eyes trying to reign in a growing headache. Mikey frowned as they entered, his gaze locking on Kaz and then Yoshi. He stepped around to his son with a questioning look. “I’m fine.” Kaz muttered. Spotting Ona, he moved to her side, lifting her chin to look at the scrape along her cheek. She frowned back at him, touching his chin where a dark bruise was already forming.

“We should be out there!” Yoshi roared. “What are we waiting for!”

“If we knew where to go, we’d already be there.” Leo rubbed his brow. This was turning into a killer headache already.

Sarah sat on the couch, her face in her hands. On either side of her sat Jamie and April, both trying to calm her down. Don kept glancing at her. He could feel her anxiety and fear, and it was putting him even more on edge.

Across from her, Cat sat gripping the arms of her chair with white knuckles. After a few moments, she jumped to her feet. “What the hell are we doin’! Why are we just sittin’ here!” Raph shot their son a quick look, then took her by the arm and pulled her around the corner into the kitchen. She glared at him and jerked her arm away. “Raph, that is our daughter out there!”

He squeezed her shoulders. “I know. But Yoshi is about to lose it. We gotta keep calm or he’ll go over the edge. I know, I’ve been there.” Her bottom lip trembled and her eyes grew damp. He pulled her to him. “I know you’re scared. So, am I. But we gotta try to keep it together for him.”

K-three watched Raph pull Cat aside. He frowned, his gaze coming back to the brothers. “What about that boat you guys took down the other night? Maybe that could give us somewhere to start.”

Donnie frowned. “Maybe, if it’s registered or logged. And considering the nature of their cargo, I think that would be very unlikely.”

“The partial plate Kaz got didn’t give me anything. But if we crossed it with the ship, it might give us something.” Mira stood. “It’s worth a try.”

As Mira and K-three headed up the stairs, Sarah let out a shuddering breath. “What I don’t understand is how they knew where she was. She’s only been out of the lair a few times since she arrived.” Don stopped pacing to put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“Maybe someone saw her on the street while you were out.” Mikey suggested as Raph and Cat stepped back into the room.

Don sighed. “I don’t know. But we’ve been very careful about where we’ve taken her.”

Yoshi suddenly stopped cold in his tracks. His eyes narrowed and his fists balled at his sides. A vicious growl left him just before he turned, switched on his holo, and shot out the front door.

“Yoshi!” Raph called as he flipped on his own holo and gave chase. He had to make sure his son didn’t do anything reckless.


	6. Corrupt Soul

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Liling is going to be calling all the young adults big sister and big brother, just so you know.  
> Also, remember any part marked with { } will mean the person is speaking Mandarin.

Star wrapped her arms tightly around Liling and glared at the men sitting across from them in the van. Liling wept, clutching at her. The man in the passenger seat turned and scowled at them. “Make her stop that noise!”

At his raised voice, Liling began crying harder. Star glared back at him. “You’re scaring her!”

The man raised his pistol. “Make her shut up or I’ll gag you both! The boss said he wanted her alive, but he didn’t say in what condition.” Star’s eyes still held defiance, but she rubbed Liling’s back and shushed her.

It took nearly twenty minutes to reach their destination, a rundown house with boarded up windows. Apparently it was kept that way to give the appearance of disuse. The van came to a stop in the overgrown alley behind the house. The man sitting the closest to the back door, tapped his gun against it and locked gazes with Star. “Make a sound and I’ll shoot ‘er. I’m sure she’ll still be worth somethin’ even is if she’s missin’ a limb.”

She clenched her jaw as the backdoor opened. The men ushered the two from the van into the house. The inside wasn’t nearly as vacant as the outside made it appear. There were several more men scattered about. Star continued to clutch Liling close as they were forced into what was most likely the living room.

One of the men approached. “What’s this?” He gestured at Star.

The head goon answered. “She was with ‘er. Thought maybe we could make a little extra.”

Wang frowned at Star. He hadn’t planned on taking her, but he also hadn’t been told how pretty she was. Maybe he’d make his money back off that useless woman after all. “She’s a bit old, but Fuhan may take her.” His gaze shifted to Liling. “Now, let’s see what we have.”

He reached out to brush the girl’s dark hair from her face and Star slapped his hand away. “Don’t touch her!” Wang gestured to the men behind her and they ripped the two girls apart. Star fought to keep her grip on Liling. “No!” She kicked one man in the knee and received a punch to the gut for it from another.

“Put her in the back room for now.” Wang told them.

“Star!” Liling cried as they took her away.

“Leave her alone!” Star shouted when she regained her breath. “No! Liling!”

Once she was gone, Wang took Liling’s face and tilted it up. The dark green eyes were unmistakable. “{Let us be friend. If you calm down, I’ll let you stay with her.}” Liling took a deep breath, trying to stop the tears. He grinned. “{There. Now that wasn’t very hard at all. Who is that girl to you?}”

Liling frowned, not certain what she should tell this man. “{She’s one of my big sisters.}”

He raised a dark brow. “{Sisters?}”

Liling stared back. She knew what her new family was capable of. She’d seen them train and spar. “{You’d better let us go or my daddy will be mad.}”

Wang sneered. “{Your daddy didn’t want you. That’s why you’re here.}”

Her green eyes turned sharp. “{Not him. My new daddy.}”

*&*&*&*&*&*&*

Leo, Don, and Mikey charged up the sidewalk after Raph and Yoshi. When they caught up with them beside the ice cream parlor, it clicked. Don felt his own anger rise. “You don’t _she_ did this, do you?”

Yoshi looked around, searching for a specific face. “I wouldn’t put it past that money-hungry witch!”

Leo frowned. “You’re talking about Star’s mother.”

Yoshi glowered. “That woman is _not_ her mother.”

“Ya ran into ‘er here the other day, right?” Raph looked around. Just because she’d been there, didn’t mean she was anywhere near there now.

“Yeah, and Liling was with us.”

Don looked up from his phone. “This way!” He sprinted down the sidewalk the others right behind him.

“Donnie?” Leo questioned as they came to a stop near a rundown apartment building.

“This is the last address I could find for her.” He frowned. There was a high likelihood that she wasn’t there anymore.

Yoshi cracked his knuckles as he stalked towards the entrance. “Let’s knock and see who’s home.”

It was such a Raph-thing to say that Mikey couldn’t help finding the humor in it. “That nut didn’t fall far from the tree.”

“Shut it, Mikey.” Raph growled as he hurried to catch up with his son.

Inside, it was obvious this was a drug flop house. There were holes in the walls, and it stunk of trash and urine. Mikey grimaced as they entered, covering his nose. “Which apartment?”

Don looked up the stairs. “Three.”

“But if she is here, she could be in any of these.” Leo pointed out as Don and Yoshi took to the stairs.

When they reached the apartment, the door hung half open. Yoshi pushed it open with a bang. The room was devoid of furniture, but scattered with druggies, most sleeping. Or they had been until Yoshi had burst in. Now they looked at the group with wide unfocused eyes. He and Don were already scanning the room for Kristy.

Yoshi spotted her first. She was sitting against a wall near the window. “You!” He growled as he marched across the room. When he yanked her off the floor by her shirt front, everyone else made for the door. He pinned her to the wall. “I should kill you!”

Donnie was right beside him. “Where are they!” He demanded.

Kristy blinked at them and grinned, obviously high. “What are you talking about?”

“You know exactly what we’re talking about!” She was very lucky she was a woman, otherwise Yoshi might have put her right through the wall.  Instead, he punched the wall near her, causing a large chunk of plaster to crash to the floor. Raphael frowned, taking a few steps forward in case his son went for his weapons.

Kristy’s eyes grew large, taking the unspoken threat to heart. “Oh, you mean that little Chinese girl. All I did was tell someone I saw her.”

“Who!” Don growled.

Kristy didn’t reply this time. Yoshi glared. “Who!”

She averted her gaze. “Who cares? She’s-.”

“Who cares!” Don was in her face now, fury in his normally cool brown eyes. “I’ll tell you who cares! We do! Now tell us where they took them!”

She blinked at him. “Them?”

“They took Star too!” Yoshi growled.

Kristy’s mouth hung open for a moment. “No! That wasn’t the deal! They were only after the girl!”

Leo stepped forward with a scowl. “What deal?”

“Wang said he’d forget about the money I owed, if I’d tell him where she was.”

Don’s temper was at it’s peak. “What gives you the right to trade a little girl’s life for your mistakes!” His brothers exchanged a look. It had been a long time since they’d seen him this worked up.

Mikey took Donnie’s arm and pulled him back several paces. “Take a deep breath, bro.”

Leo took his spot beside Yoshi. “Who’s this Wang?”

Kristy’s gaze flicked between Don and Yoshi, finally settling on Leo. “Fachen Wang. He runs a gang on the west side.”

“Where can we find ‘im?” Raph was on Yoshi’s other side now.

“I-I don’t know. I just know where I usually meet him.”

“And where’s that?” Leo prompted.

“An overpass off Morris near the eighty-seven.”

Don, Mikey, and Leo started to move towards the door, but Yoshi nailed the woman with a cold look. “Don’t you ever come near Star again! If you do, I swear I’ll make you regret it!” Raph put a hand on his shoulder. Yoshi gave her a rough shove as he released her, then turned for the door. She slid down the wall to settle on the floor.

Raph scowled down at her. “You’re some piece of work, lady.” He stalked off, following his brothers and Yoshi down the stairs.

Outside, Don stopped to rub his face and take several deep breaths. Leo watched him with concern. “You alright, Donnie?”

The genius shook his head. “No, I’m not.” He could feel just how upset his mate was at the loss of Liling. The more worried she became, the angrier he got, which in turn made her even more worried and that only made him even angrier. It was a vicious cycle, one he had no way of controlling at the moment. He was having a hard time wrapping his head around how everyone kept treating Liling like she was piece merchandise that could just be traded away or sold. She was a human being! And she was a baby for crying out loud!

It took him several long moments to calm himself down enough that he could even think straight. “Let’s go check out the overpass.”

Leo frowned at him. “I think we better have K-three bring the van.” While he called home and explained what they’d found out, Mikey tried to calm Don down. Raph didn’t try to calm Yoshi down though. He knew there was no point. His son had his temper. There’d be no calming him down until he pounded the people that had taken Star. And the fact was, Raph didn’t blame him. He was barely keeping his own temper in check.

When the van pulled to a stop and the back door opened, Don frowned up at his spouse. Sarah returned the look as he stepped inside and she embraced him. Leo glanced at K-three. The Turtleoid shook his head. “We thought it was for the best.”

Leo gave a nod as they climbed inside. His brother would be calmer with his mate nearby. The two were likely feeding off of one another from a distance. When the door closed, Mira turned to look up at her parents. She could feel their great worry, sadness, and anger. Kaz turned the van and headed in the direction of the overpass.

“Did you find anything?” Leo asked.

K-three frowned. “A little. There wasn’t anything on the boat, but we pulled the records from the truck the cops impounded. It took some digging, because the title was held by several phony business. But we were finally able to trace it to a company called Li Shipping. It could still be a cover, but it’s better than nothing.”

“Alright, if this lead doesn’t pan out, we’ll check them out next.” Leo settled into one of the seats. He glanced around. “You left Shinta?”

K-three nodded. “Yeah, I didn’t think it was a good idea to leave nobody at home right now, especially with that crazy lady knowing where we live.”

Raph snorted from where he leaned against one of the walls. “I don’t think she’s gonna be a problem anymore.”

“She may not be, but that doesn’t mean she won’t send someone else.” Mikey pointed out.

Leo looked away, old memories floating through his mind. “Better safe than sorry.” He said softly.

Raph frowned. “Yeah.” His gaze shifted to his son. Yoshi looked like a caged tiger. He kept grinding his teeth and shifting from foot to foot while clenching and unclenching his fists. Raph put a hand on his shoulder and he turned his distraught green eyes on his father. “Hey, we got somethin’ to work off of now. We’re gonna find ‘em and bring ‘em home.”

Yoshi closed his eyes and swallowed hard. _I’m comin’ for ya, doll. I promised I wasn’t gonna let nobody hurt ya and I’m gonna make sure of that even if I gotta rip my way through the whole west side!_

*&*&*&*&*&*&*

Star paced the small bedroom. It was barren except for a few stains on the floor, which she diligently did not look at. Instead, she kept her eyes locked on the door. She was worried about Liling. What were they doing to her? Were they hurting her? Was she even still there? Had they taken off with her? Star’s guts twisted. How had this happened!

She began to pace again. This time she stopped near the boarded up window. There was actually still a pane there, but there were boards nailed to both the inside and outside of the frame. Even the glass was covered in brown paper. It would be very difficult to get through there. The floorboards beneath her creaked and she frowned at them. Kneeling, she ran a hand over the cracks between the boards. There was air flowing from somewhere beneath the room. It was possible it was a basement, but it could also be a crawl space beneath the house. Concentrating, she tried to remember what the outside of the house looked like. It had been small, only one story with trees growing close by.

She’d been in enough foster homes that she could easily pick out the age and style of the home. This one was old and wooden, a fire hazard for sure. But it meant that it was far more likely the space beneath her was a crawl space, not a basement. It might be hard without any kind of tool, but if she had enough time she might be able to pry one board up. It was a gamble, but one she was willing to take.

A sound outside the room drew her attention back to the door. Wang and Liling appeared when it opened. Star rushed forward, meeting Liling as she ran into the room. Relief washed over her. They’d only been separated for a few minutes and the child looked fine, though a bit scared.

Wang smiled at the two in a way that made Star’s skin crawl. “{See? She’s fine. And she’ll stay that way as long as you’re a good little girl and do what I say.}”

Liling’s arms tightened around Star’s waist. The older girl glared at the man. “What are you telling her?”

Wang shifted his gaze to Star. “Just that she’d better behave. That goes double for you, if you want to stay alive. Remember girl, you’re expendable.”

As soon as the door was shut and locked, Star dropped to her knees, searching Liling for injuries. Finding none, she met her dark green eyes. “Did they hurt you? Are you alright?”

Liling frowned, she was still new to English. But she was able to pick up on the word hurt. “Hurt? No, no hurt.”

Star let out a heavy breath, pulling her into a tight hug. “Good, good.” Holding her close and listening to her soft sobs, Star felt the sting of her own tears. _Yoshi, I need you._


	7. Only One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Be aware that any part marked with { } will mean that the person is speaking Mandarin. 
> 
> Ling-Ling is Donnie's nickname for Liling.
> 
> 姐姐 jiě jie older sister  
> 爸爸 bà ba dad  
> 妈妈 mā ma mother

The man tried to scramble away from the eight giant turtles surrounding him. The clan had abandoned their holos for full ninja gear. They were an intimidating sight to say the least and the punk they’d caught beneath the overpass was about to wet himself. He tried again to crawl away, but Raph kicked him back into the center. “You ain’t goin’ nowhere till ya tell us where Fachen Wang is!”

“H-He’d kill me!”

Yoshi growled, showing off his metal claws. “Who’s to say we won’t?”

The guy looked around, but all his companions were out cold. He looked back at the furious turtle. “G-Good point.”

“Where!” Don demanded.

The man opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water. Leo slid one katana from it’s scabbard. “He has a house near the port!” The man said in a rush. “I can take you there!”

“That won’t be necessary, just give us the address.” Leo ran a finger along the blade, eyeing him.

The punk immediately spilled the address. Kaz growled. “You’d better not be lying to us.”

“No! I’m not! I swear!”

“I’ll go pull it up.” As Mira returned to the van, Leo returned his katana to its sheath.

He looked down at the man and then at his nephew, who was just itching to beat on something. “He looks tired. Yoshi, give him something to help him sleep.”

Stowing his tekko-kagi claws, he cracked his knuckles. A wicked grin that could have matched any of his father’s crossed the young turtle’s face. “I got just the thing.”

“Do you think it’s legit?” K-three asked Leo as they started back to the van.

“Yeah, most likely. His sort don’t have the brains to come up with a fake address that fast.”

As they loaded up, Donnie inspected the images that Mira and Sarah had pulled up. “Well?”

“Because it’s nearly dark the images are harder to see. But there does look like there’s a van parked outside that address.” Mira pointed to a place on the screen where you could just make out the shape of a vehicle.

Mikey took the driver’s seat. “That’s good enough for me.” Kaz sat in the passenger seat as the others started discussing strategy. He ran a finger along his tender jaw. Mikey glanced at him. “Yoshi give you that?”

Kaz didn’t look at him. “Yeah, but I kinda deserved it.” He let out a heavy sigh. “I know how he feels.”

Mikey frowned. “You two fighting isn’t going to help us get Star or Liling back any faster.”

“I know.” He glanced over his shoulder at his cousin in the rear of the van. “We’ll work it out later, when this is over. Right now, I’m just gonna keep my face away from his fist.”

Mikey continued to frown. Kaz and Yoshi had always bickered, just like Leo and Raph. In some strange way he knew that was how they told each other they cared. He just hoped his son and nephew would come to some type of compromise like his brothers had, before one did something they’d regret.

They parked the van several blocks from the house and Leo went over the plan one more time. The house had only two entrances the front and back door, the rest were boarded up tight. They would first take out anyone on the perimeter. Once they had both entrances secured, they’d take the house from both sides. The plan was risky, considering everyone in the place was probably armed.

Yoshi was already climbing the walls. “We’re wasting time! Let’s go already!”

Sarah wrapped Mira in a tight embrace. “Please be careful, sweetheart.”

Mira sighed, still feeling her mother’s anxiety. “I promise.” She stepped back to meet her mother’s eyes. “We will get them back.” Sarah gave a small nod and reached past her to give K-three’s arm a warm squeeze. He offered her a small smile of reassurance, before the two stepped out of the van.

Don paused. He didn’t like leaving her alone. She touched his cheek. “I’ll be fine.”

He frowned. Leaning down, he pressed a gentle kiss to her soft lips. “I love you.” He felt the familiar rush of joy from her that always accompanied those words. But it too was damped by her intense worry.

“As I love you.” She said softly.

“I’ll bring her back.”

This time she smiled. “I know you will.”

Even after all their years together, he was still amazed at the amount of faith she had in him. Her worry was for their safety not because she didn’t believe he could accomplish his goal. In that there was no doubt at all. He squeezed her hand, before stepping out and closing the doors behind him. Turning, he sprinted up the road. He was going to be the last to get into position at this rate.

*&*&*&*&*&*&*

The tips of Star’s fingers bleed, but she refused to give up. Her nails were broken and chipped from trying to pry the floorboard up. It seemed she was finally making progress though. One end was now finally to a point she could get her fingers under it. Liling had sat and watched her for some time, not entirely sure what Star was doing. But when she’d seen the board begin to move, she’d hurried to help. Her fingers were smaller and could get between the slats a little better.

Between the two of them, they’d gotten one end up. Slipping their hands under, they began to tug, putting all their weight into it. Suddenly, the other end popped free and the board shot across the room, causing the two girls to fall backwards. Star cursed under her breath when it made a loud thump against the wall. Her eyes shot to the door as she heard voices approaching.

“What was that?”

“Don’t know.”

“Better check on the merchandise. The boss would be ticked if somethin’ happened to ‘em.”

Star scrambled for the board, shoving it back in place and sitting on it. Liling hurried to sit beside her and tried to look natural as the older girl wrapped an arm around her shoulders. The door came open and the two men looked around.

Star glared. “Lose somethin’?”

One man glowered at her. “What was that noise?”

“How should I know? I’m locked in here.” She snapped, making sure that her voice held the same defiance it had earlier.

Seeing nothing disturbed in the vacant room, the two left. “Maybe it was somethin’ outside?”

“Ya better check it out.”

Star let out a breath and squeezed Liling. “We’re getting out of here.” They both moved and lifted the now loosened board. Dirt! Relief washed over Star. That meant it was a crawl space, which meant they could easily crawl out from beneath the house. Examining the opening they’d created, she realized it was too small for her. She’d have to pry up another board in order to fit. That wouldn’t be too difficult now that she had one up though.

Her heart jumped into her throat as she heard footsteps and voices approaching again. She grabbed the small girl’s arm, willing her to understand her. “You have to go! Crawl out, find a phone, call home!”

Liling blinked at her for a moment. Phone? Home? Her eyes grew wide as she realized Star wasn’t coming with her. She shook her head. “No! Star go!”

Star shook her head. “No, I won’t fit! You have to go now! Hurry!”

The voices were right outside the door now.

Star’s eyes darted to the door and back to Liling. “Please! Go!”

Terror was written all over her round face as the child squeezed through the narrow opening. She stared up at Star, tears welling in her eyes. “Jiějie?” She whispered.

Pale blue met dark green one last time, before Star shoved the board back in place. Liling sat in the darkness, petrified to move. She could hear things moving around her and she could feel the tendrils of spider webs all over her. There was shouting in the room above and some instinct kicked in, telling her to move. She remembered there was an outside wall near her and she turned around searching for a gap. There it was, not three feet away. She could see pale light through the opening. Ducking her head, she crawled towards it as fast as possible. As she came to the exit, she stopped to swipe at the webs clinging to her face and sticking in her black hair.

She started to move, but froze as a pair of booted feet came into view. She held her breath, until at last he moved on. Scooting forward, she glanced around. No one else was in sight. In front of her was an overgrown yard with no fence and beyond that the street. Biting her lip, she jumped up and ran.

“Hey!” Someone shouted and a pair of feet pounded the ground in her wake.

Liling’s heart thrummed loudly in her ears. The footsteps were getting closer. Tears blurred her vision as fear gripped her hard. They would catch her any second now. A shadow moved in front of her, there was a growl and a whoosh of air. Liling spun to see the shadow land on the man that had been chasing her. A part of her told her to run, but another held her in place. Her savior stood and took a step forward into the dim moonlight. She gasped, rushing forward. “Bàba!”

Donnie caught her as she leapt into his arms. “Ling-Ling! I’ve got you!” He gripped her tightly, letting out a shuddering breath. “It’ll be alright now.” The flash of headlights alerted him of an oncoming vehicle. Still clutching Liling to his chest, he grabbed the thug with his free hand and dragged him off the street. He darted back into the darkness and tapped his headset. “Leo, I’ve got her. I’ve got Liling.”

Yoshi’s voice broke over the line. “What about Star!”

Don eased one of Liling’s arms from his neck, so he could look at her. “{Where is Star?}”

She pointed back the way she’d come. “{She’s still inside the house! She made me go without her!}” Her bottom lip trembled and the tears finally spilled over.

He could tell that leaving Star had been a very hard thing for her to do. He tapped his headset again. “Still inside.”

Leo responded this time. “Take her back to the van. We’ll get Star out of there.”

“Right. I’ll come back as soon as she’s safe.” Donnie didn’t wait for a reply as he started to sprint back in the direction of the van. He wasn’t surprised to find Sarah waiting for him.

Her eyes sparkled with unshed tears as he passed Liling to her. “Oh, sweetheart!”

Liling clutched at her, burying her face against Sarah’s neck. “Māma!” Sarah returned the hug with just as much enthusiasm.

Donnie frowned. “I have to go back. Star’s still inside.”

Sarah nodded, a fierce protectiveness igniting inside her. Her eyes glowed now for an entirely different reason. Anyone that dared to take Liling from her was going to have one shell of a fight on their hands. “Go.” Her determination burned through the bond, and because of that he did not hesitate to turn and return to the battle.

*&*&*&*&*&*&*

A split-second after Star had shoved the board back in place, she heard the lock click. She sat quickly against the wall beside her in the same spot she’d occupied a few minutes earlier. She schooled her features into a scowl as the door opened. She glared at the two men. “What?”

Wang and Li stared at her sitting alone in the empty room. Li turned on his friend. “What is this! You said she was here! I have no use for this girl! She’d bring less than a quarter of the other one!”

Wang frowned. “She was just here a few minutes ago. My men just checked on them.”

“Unless she is invisible, she is not in that room!”

Wang called to his men. “Find that girl! Now!” His men scattered and he turned back to the room. He marched forward, yanking Star off the floor by her hair. “Where is she!”

Star continued her defiance, even with one hand clutching at her scalp. “I don’t know who you’re talking about. I’m the only one here.” She swung a fist at his midsection, forcing him to release her. He grunted with the impact, stepping away from her. Star lifted piercing pale blue eyes to the only obstacle presently in her way – one small man. She made a dash for the door.

She never saw the blow coming. It hit her like a freight train and she crumpled to the floor. The world going dark. Li rubbed his knuckles and frowned down at her. The girl had spirit, he’d give her that. “Who is this girl?”

“She’s payment for a debt. But the little one said she was her sister.” Wang had finally collected himself and came to stand over Star.

“Sister? That mongrel has no sister.”

Wang ran a hand across his bruised rib. “She said she had a new family.”

Li looked down at Star again. “Well, she may be valuable after all - as bait.” He called to his men. “Put her in the van.”

Wang followed them as they picked up Star heading for the back of the house. “Wait, what about my cut?”

Li frowned as they neared the back door. “Right now there is no cut. You promised me the young one. You bring her to me and we’ll see. You don’t, I’ll just have to see what I can get for this one.”

*&*&*&*&*&*&*

Mikey frowned as he reached his position on the south side of the house. Donnie was supposed to be working this side with him, but he hadn’t made it yet. He didn’t bother to contemplate this as a small shadow darted across the lawn a few yards away. One of the two men near him shouted. “Hey!” They both took off in the same direction. Mikey was a little too far away to catch the first man, but the second was easy enough to take out. Glancing up, he spotted the first man sprinting down the street. In the distance he could just make out a shadow descending on him. _Looks like Donnie got him._

Mikey pulled the man he’d knocked out from the side of the road underneath a bush, just as a car passed. He checked the south side of the house again and tapped his headset. “This side’s clear.” Less than a minute later, Donnie’s voice came over the line saying he had Liling. That’s what he’d seen! Liling! A grin crept across his face and he barely suppressed the desire to give a victory whoop. _Man, she’s pretty fast for a little thing._

Yoshi and Kaz took up their positions on the east side of the house which was at the back. They watched several men come out and begin to circle the place. Suddenly Don’s voice broke over the radio. “Leo, I’ve got her. I’ve got Liling.” Yoshi’s heart jumped. How did he have Liling?

He tapped his headset. “What about Star!”

It seemed like an eternity before there was an answer. “Still inside.”

Yoshi’s heart beat so loud that he barely heard Leo’s response. Looking back towards the house. He could see two men were closing the doors to a white van. The men stood and waited patiently for a short man to come outside.

From Kaz’s position, the rear of the van was blocked by overgrown bushes. But he did see when one man stepped to the front and turned on the engine. He frowned, tapping his own headset. “We’ve got a van about to leave back here.”

K-three responded. “Tag it, but keep to the plan.”

Kaz pulled a shuriken with a tracker in it. He crept a bit closer, before letting it zing through the air and imbed itself low in the van’s side. As the vehicle pulled away, one of the men circling the house came close to his new position and Kaz snatched him, dragging him into the darkness without a sound.

Not far away, Yoshi had slipped up near the house and nabbed another thug. The two exchanged a quick thumbs-up across the space between them. Kaz tapped his headset again. “We’re clear.”

K-three and Mira had just made it to the north side of the house, when she felt her father’s joy and relief wash over her. A few moments later he announced he had Liling. Mira felt her heart soar with joy at the news and then sink back to earth when she heard Star was still inside. She clenched her fists around her tonfa and focused on the mission.

There were three men on this side of the house that seemed to be searching for something. They were checking behind refuse and bushes, crossing the yard in a somewhat methodical manner. She recognized one of the men as the one that had kicked her. A little growl escaped her as she narrowed her eyes on him. This one she wanted.

As luck would have it the other two moved off in the direction K-three was hidden. Taking a shuriken, she threw it with deadly accuracy to jab into his wrist. He let out a cry of pain as he dropped his gun. She stepped out from behind the tree she’d been using as cover, revealing herself to the thug. His eyes grew wide. “Remember me?”

The man took in the sharp dark brown eyes, that almost looked black in the darkness, and the bandage above her left eye. “What the…?” He took a step back, clutching the wrist that was bleeding heavily.

She tapped the tip of her tonfa close to the bandage. “I told you, you were going to regret this.” He gasped as she sprang into the air and came crashing down on him. Her weapons hit their mark one after another – gut, knee, face, head. He gaped at her as she delivered a roundhouse kick that sent him to the ground. Before he could even make an attempt to get up, she had him pinned with a knee on his chest. Even in the pale moonlight her blade shimmered as it slid from the tonfa’s end to stop mere centimeters from the man’s throat. The man’s eyes widened in his bloodied face.

“Mira!” K-three stood a few feet away. He’d already taken care of the other two men.

For one terribly long heartbeat, she didn’t move. The man could have sworn he saw his death flicker in her eyes for a split-second. Then the blade retracted. “You’d better learn to treat women with more respect.” She growled a moment before her tonfa connected with his head, sending him into the void of unconsciousness.

K-three stared at her as she stood. “What the hell was that?”

She smirked. “Just a little payback.”

He raised an eye ridge, but a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. Man, could she be hot when she wanted to be!

“K-three?” Leo questioned over the radio.

He tapped his headset, still eyeing his spouse. “Clear.”

On the west side near the front, hidden in the shadows of the overgrown bushes were Leo and Raph. The front didn’t offer much cover, so they were going to have to make this fast. The front door opened and the two men that were outside were joined by two more. They conversed for a moment. As one moved off around the north side of the house, Mikey’s voice broke radio silence. “This side’s clear.”

Leo shifted readying to strike, but stopped as Don’s voice came through. “Leo, I’ve got her. I’ve got Liling.”

He and Raph exchanged a look. What? How had that happened? Before Leo could respond, Yoshi spoke. “What about Star!”

Leo held his breath. If she’d gotten out too, then there was no need to continue to put his clan in danger. They could pull out that very minute. Don’s voice was somber when he replied. “Still inside.”

Leo let out his breath. Well, one out of two still wasn’t bad. “Take her back to the van. We’ll get Star out of there.” One of the three men on the front porch must have heard him, because he turned and looked in his direction. Leo frowned, then gestured at Raph several feet away. Since he’d already been heard, he’d be the distraction and Raph could take them from behind. Raph nodded in agreement.

Leo pulled a sword and hit the bush on his other side, making it rattle. Two men bolted off the porch in his direction. The third took a few steps and stopped, but his focus remained in Leo’s direction allowing Raph to move. Leo spotted his brother’s shadow as he took out the straggler. Kaz and K-three were having a conversation about a van, but he ignored them in favor of his current prey. The first man gave a startled yelp when he swept his legs from beneath him and dragged him into the underbrush.

The last man turned, gun raised. “Tom?” But there wasn’t going to be any response from the unconscious body beside Leo. The leader tapped the bush beside him again. The guy swung the gun in his direction. But he’d never had a chance. Raph caught him in a choke hold and at the same moment Leo swept his katana up disarming him. Raph deposited the limp body on the ground next to the other one.

“We’re clear.” Kaz said over the line.

Leo waited another moment before requesting the last clear. “K-three?”

“Clear.”

Leo nodded. “Time for phase two.”


	8. Empty Handed

Leo and Raph stood outside the front door for only a moment before Mikey showed. And then a shadow landed beside them. Mikey raised an eye-ridge. “Nice of you to join us, bro.”

“Liling?” Leo asked.

“I left her with Sarah.” Don smirked. “Believe me, she’s not going anywhere.”

Leo smiled and Raph chuckled. “I bet.”

Leo tapped his headset. “Team two are you in position?”

At the back of the house, Yoshi and Kaz were joined by K-three and Mira. Yoshi started to take point, but K-three put a hand on his chest. “No. You two stay behind me and Kaz.”

“What!” Yoshi growled, barely keeping his voice in check.

“You’re not thinking clearly. And you…” He eyed his mate with a tiny half smile.

Mira pouted. “I was just having some fun. I don’t get to do this much anymore.”

Leo requested their position and K-three tapped his headset, still eyeing his mate with a bit of amusement. “Affirmative.”

“Alright on my signal.” Leo paused briefly. “Now!”

The front and back doors were swung open simultaneously. There weren’t very many men left in the house. Two were near the back and three near the front. Wang had returned to the bedroom and was trying to find how Liling had gotten out. The moment the front door opened, the living room was sent into darkness as a shuriken shattered the light. In mere seconds, the three goons were unconscious. At the back, K-three threw his dagger and it pinned a surprised thug to a wall. Beside him, the chain of Kaz’s kusarigama wrapped around the other man’s leg, dropping him to the floor. His gun slid away from him. He stared at the four from the ground as they moved inside. “W-What are you?”

Kaz growled as he recognized the man as the one that had held Ona at gunpoint and shoved her to the ground. “You picked the wrong woman to threaten.” He punched the man twice, the second blow knocking him unconscious. Nearby, K-three pulled his dagger from the other man’s arm and quickly incapacitated him.

Wang had heard the commotion in the back of the house. Pulling his weapon, he crept back into the hall. K-three’s team dove for cover as the man unloaded a clip in their direction. Wang was surprised when something cold and sharp pressed against his neck.

“Drop it.” Leo ordered, giving his blade a tad more pressure.

Wang dropped his pistol and turned to face his captor. His eyes grew wide. “Who are you! What are you!”

Yoshi had moved past them into the bedroom. “Star!” He stared around in shock. Star wasn’t there. “No!” But she had to be! She must’ve been there only a few minutes ago, if Liling had just escaped. She’d definitely been there very recently, he could still smell her in the air. He could also smell blood though. Letting out a ferocious growl, he stepped back into the hall and nearly shoved his uncle aside. The man gasped as he jabbed one of his tekko-kagi into the wall barely an inch from his head. “Where is she!” He roared, his other claw digging into the side of Wang’s neck.

“Yoshi.” Leo warned just behind him.

But the younger turtle’s furious green gaze was locked on the man in front of him. “Answer me! Where is she!”

Wang stumbled over his words for a moment, before he was finally able to reply. “The little girl? I don’t know. She took off.”

Wang hissed as Yoshi’s claws drew blood. “No! The other one!”

Wang looked confused. “The b-blonde? What do you want her for?”

Yoshi’s patience was hitting its limits. He yanked his other claw free from the wall and raised it. “She’s my wife!”

Raph caught his arm. “Yoshi! Easy, he ain’t no use to us dead.”

Yoshi’s gaze flicked between his father and the gang’s leader. He gave another growl and yanked away from both of them, stomping off into the living room. Raph frowned and shot Leo a look. “You better do somethin’ with this creep,” he jabbed a thumb at Wang, “‘cause I don’t think I can keep ‘im under control much longer.”

Wang was sweating as Raph turned to follow Yoshi into the living room. Leo scowled at the man, lifting the tip of his blade to press it under his jaw. “Tell us where Star is? Or I’ll let those two take you apart.”

Wang squirmed. “Li took her!” K-three flinched. Li? As in Li Shipping? He glanced at Mira and she nodded in agreement.

Kaz’s eyes grew wide. “That van that left!”

“Where are they taking her?” Leo demanded.

“I’m not sure. He wanted the little one, but she was gone. So, he took the blonde instead.”

Kaz took a step forward. “Why?”

“The little one said she was her sister. Li said he’d trade her for the little one.”

Mira gasped and Leo barely had time to step back as Donnie took over the interrogation. He wrapped a large hand around the thug’s throat, half lifting him off the floor. “You will never get your hands on her again! She is not a piece of property!” Wang began to choke and claw at Don’s hand as the turtle’s grip tightened on him.

Mikey and Leo exchanged a worried look. “Let him go, Donnie.” Leo said softly.

Don’s grip loosened a fraction, but his eyes were sharp and deadly. “She is _my_ daughter now. And if you ever come anywhere near her again, it’ll be the last thing you ever do.” He slammed him into the wall, causing a crack to form all the way to the ceiling. Then he dropped him. Fuming, he turned and stomped into the living room as well. Mira hurried after him.

Wang sank to the floor and began coughing, trying to get air through his injured windpipe. Leo lifted the man’s head with the tip of his katana. “As you can see none of us are very happy with you at the moment. So, if you want to make it out of here alive, you’d better tell us where they took Star.”

Wang rubbed his throat. “I’m not sure. I don’t usually deal in that business. I just looked for the little one as a favor.” Leo narrowed his eyes and the guy rushed to finish. “I know Li used to have a warehouse near the docks. If I had to guess, that’s probably where he took her.”

Leo returned his blade to its sheath and turned to look at K-three. “That sound right?”

He nodded. “Yeah, it matches what we found earlier on the truck.”

“I put a tracker in the side of that van.” Kaz reminded them. “If she was in there, we can follow them.”

Raph had been watching his son pace back and forth for only a minute when Donnie stormed into the room too. Mira frowned, her eyes full of concern. “Dad, are you okay?”

Donnie took a deep breath, dropping his face into one hand. “Yes, I’m just…I’m just sick of them talking about her like she’s just a thing!”

Mira stepped up to him and embraced him. She could understand his anger, she felt it too. That was how the world had always looked at them, like they were just things or creatures without soul. “I know.” She could also sense her mother’s anger. Though it was not as great as it had been, it was still present. That too was making him edgy.

Don let out a heavy sigh and wrapped her tightly in his arms. Pressing his cheek to the top of her round head, he tried to push away the anger and resentment. “I know you do, sweetheart.”

Raph had kept his gaze on his son and he could tell something else was wrong. “What is it?”

Yoshi paused, his hands twitching at his side. “I smelled blood in there. Star’s blood.”

Raph’s eyes widened and Don’s head came up. “Blood?”

Mira hurried back into the bedroom, scanning it. Finally she spotted a place near the wall. She knelt and examined the smudges on the floor. Don had joined her along with Leo and K-three. Mira shared a knowing look with her father before reaching down and easily lifting the board out of place. Beneath the room was dirt and it looked recently disturbed.

“That’s how she got Liling out.” Leo concluded.

Don put his hand along the inside of the floor board with admiration. “She pried it up with her bare hands.”

K-three blew out a breath. “Man, that would take some determination.”

A small smile of pride touched Leo’s mouth. “Our girls are all pretty resourceful when they need to be.”

Mira frowned. “I don’t understand. Why didn’t she pull up another one? I mean Star might not have fit through this space, but once this one was out the next would have been much easier.”

“She must not have had the opportunity.” Leo told her.

Don gave a sad nod. “Liling said that Star made her leave her behind.” He looked around the room. “I suppose the good news is there doesn’t appear to be blood anywhere else. So, besides cutting herself on the floorboard, she’s not otherwise injured.”

The four returned to the living room to find that Mikey and Kaz had joined Raph and Yoshi. At Kaz’s feet Wang knelt, his hands and feet tied behind his back. Yoshi was giving him a death glare that could have melted steel. Leo frowned at his nephew and stepped around to put a hand on his shoulder. “It looks like she just hurt herself while trying to get Liling out. It doesn’t appear that she has any significant injuries.”

Yoshi let out a breath, the tension in his jaw easing only slightly. He continued to glare a Wang. This guy was just a petty gangster. He wanted the man that was the real threat – Li. He took several steps forward and somehow Wang managed to shrink back despite his bound hands and feet. Yoshi pointed at him. “If anything happens to her, I swear I’ll come back and gut ya!” Then he slammed a fist into the side of the man’s head so hard it caused a cut along his brow as he fell out cold.

“Time to go.” Leo said. They left the thugs there and called in a tip to the police. There was enough contraband inside the house that it was sure to put them away for several years.

When they reached the van, Mira hugged Liling tightly. Sarah smiled a bit, her eyes damp. Don wrapped all three in his arms, relief burning in his chest. He placed a kiss on top of Mira’s head. _My girls._

Sarah lifted her head and kissed him warmly. “Thank you.” She whispered against his lips. He shut his eyes, pulling her even tighter against him. He could sense her gratitude and happiness, but it was still tainted with worry. They still had one missing. But that wouldn’t be for long.

*&*&*&*&*&*&*

Shinta grabbed for his phone as it received a text. All eyes in the living room turned towards him. He smiled. “They have Liling!” Then he frowned. “But not Star.” Cat sat up as she watched him read the rest of the message. “They know where she’s at though.” He finally looked up. “They’re coming back here first.” He jumped up and headed for the dojo to gear up.

Cat bit her lip and Jamie put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “They won’t leave her out there. You know that.”

“Yeah.” Cat knew that no matter what they’d get Star back. She just hoped nothing bad happened in the meantime.

*&*&*&*&*&*&*

Star woke to a throbbing pain in the side of her face. She tried to pry her eyes open. Although her left opened, her right was swollen shut. She blinked trying to clear the blurriness from her vision. There wasn’t much to look at. She was tied to a beam facing a bare cement wall. Her ears were ringing, but she could still make out people talking behind her. She only got bits and pieces of the conversation though.

“Blonde….small…spirited…fun…” There was laughter. “I don’t know….find out….entertaining….” More laughter.

Star felt a chill run up her spine that had nothing to do with the fact that she was sitting on a cold floor. She tugged at the rope binding her to the post. The skin of her wrists burned and her hands felt numb. Footsteps approached and she froze. The small man she’d seen earlier and another man appeared beside her.

Li frowned down at her. “He wants pictures. Strip her.”

“No!” Star screamed and tried to kick out with her feet. But the men were still out of range.

The second man frowned. “I think we’re going to have to give her something to calm her down. We wouldn’t want to damage her further.”

Li nodded. “I’ll get something. In the meantime, you might want to gag her.”

The second man pulled a rag from his pocket as Li left. Star glared. “Stay away from me!”

The man moved away from her feet, grabbing her from behind and tying the gag on. Star continued to glare and shout, but it didn’t make much sense with the rag in her mouth. The man stepped back around to watch her. Li appeared a few moments later with a syringe. Star tried to fight him, kicking her feet uselessly. The injection burned its way through her system. Li turned to the other man. “Give it about ten minutes, she’ll be a lot more cooperative then.”

Both men disappeared from view and Star tried once more to pull her hands free. The way she was tied made it very hard to get any kind of leverage. She pulled harder and something popped in one of her shoulders. She cried out in pain, but there was no one to hear her. Tears ran down her face. She hated being this helpless. Her body was beginning to go numb and her mind foggy. _I have to fight this! I have to keep my head!_ But she was losing the battle minute by minute. The drug they’d given her was taking over, she could feel her control slipping. _Oh, Yoshi, I’m sorry…_

Li’s henchman returned. He sneered as he knelt down beside her and lifted her chin to look into her eye. Star’s mind was crying out for her body to fight him, but it wasn’t cooperating. “That’s a lot better. It’ll be easier on both of us this way. Just relax and it’ll all be over soon.” More tears tumbled free as the sound of her shirt ripping filled the air.


	9. Deliverance and the Epilogue

The turtle van tore down the street, Mikey at the wheel. They’d stopped to drop off Sarah, Liling and Mira, and pick up Shinta. It had taken less than a minute, but they all felt an urgency in the air. Kaz’s tracker was working perfectly. It had stopped outside the address they’d gotten for Li Shipping. The problem was Li had at least a half hour head start. Anything could happen to Star, even in that small of a window. This man was obviously unscrupulous and would sink to any level.

Raph chanced a glance at his son. Yoshi was likely putting a dent in the wall of the van as he slammed yet another fist into it. Raph shot a look at Leo beside him. “He’s gonna bolt when we stop.”

Leo frowned. “I know. We’re just going to have to cover him.” He knew there was no way he was going to get his nephew to follow any kind of plan. And stealth was completely out of the question. This time they’d simply have to use brute force and hope they weren’t way outnumbered.

Yoshi looked at the screen again. They were right on top of the tracker now. Through the windshield he spotted the white van he’d seen at Wang’s. Before they’d even stopped, he was flying out the door. Kaz was barely a step behind him and just behind him were Raph and Leo. As expected, Yoshi hardly stopped at the door, instead barreling right through it. The door flew off the hinges into the large open space. More than a dozen heads snapped in their direction.

Raph tackled Yoshi, rolling them behind some crates as a barrage of bullets pelted the place they’d been standing less than a second earlier. Raph’s anger finally boiled over. He’d kept it in check for as long as he could. Jumping to his feet, he threw his body against the crates stacked beside them. The large pile toppled over. Several men cried out as the heavy wooden boxes landed on them. Somewhere in the fog of his fury, he heard his name called. But it was too late. He’d had enough. These people had kidnapped two members of his family, made his wife cry, and nearly gave his son a nervous breakdown! He was ready to rip someone’s arms off!

It had taken a moment for Yoshi to realize it had been his father that had tackled him. His surprise turned into wide-eyed astonishment as he watched him throw himself into the crates beside them. By the time they’d fallen though, he was on his feet.

As Raphael charged blindly into the center of the chaos, Yoshi was right beside him. Leo cursed under his breath as he and Kaz rushed to cover the two hot-heads. The warehouse suddenly went dark and Leo thanked the stars that at least one member of his team was keeping his head. The darkness aided them, but it did not completely eliminate the threat by any means.

Raph threw one sai and it sank into one man’s chest. Leaping forward, he yanked it free as he drove his other into the man beside his victim. Nearby a man cried out in pain as Yoshi’s tekko-kagi sliced him across the chest, leaving large gaping wounds. A man to their right, turned towards them in the dimness and took aim at Yoshi. He didn’t have a chance to fire though as the ninja’s claws swiped the gun from his hand and then jabbed into his shoulder. The man gasped as Yoshi snarled in his face. “Where is she!” The man apparently waited too long to answer as he dug his other claw into the man’s other shoulder. He kicked the useless man away and went for another.

Kaz was trying to keep up with Yoshi as his cousin tore a path through the room. Using his sickle, he disarmed anyone that took aim at him from a distance. Not far away, Leo was attempting to do much the same, giving his brother as much cover as he could. On the catwalk that ran along the back of the warehouse he could make out another pair of twin katana whipping through the air. Two other shadows were moving swiftly, taking out the remaining goons on that level.

Donnie had moved away from the breaker box and back to the rear entrance, making sure no one got past them. As the men began to realize the tide was quickly turning against them, they tried to make for the door. Only they found a very angry turtle blocking their path. Donatello disarmed three and laid them flat on their backs. He still had a great deal of his own anger to work out.

Yoshi had just dispatched another man, when the lights suddenly came back on. Nearly the entire room was filled with incapacitated broken and bleeding bodies, except for two. Li’s right hand man stood beside the breaker box and beside him Li. Everyone froze because in the small man’s arms dangled Star only wearing her undergarments. Li pressed his gun to the side of her head. “I’m assuming you came for this one. I’d gladly give her to you for the young one.”

The sight of the woman he loved dangling half naked from his enemy’s arms sent a fire like no other racing through Yoshi’s body. Kaz and Raph barely caught him as he surged forward. He snarled, his vision turning red with fury. “Take your hands off her!”

Li raised a brow. “This one is important to you. As I said I will return her in exchange for the other one. What is the little one to you after all? She’s only been here for few days. This one,” he glanced down at the silver ring on Star’s hand, “has obviously been with you for some time.”

“You’ll _never_ get Liling!” Don growled from several yards away.

“We won’t trade a life for a life.” Leo stated firmly. A fire was smoldering in his own eyes.

Raph and Kaz were losing ground. Yoshi was literally dragging them step by step towards his prey. Li jammed the pistol harder into the side of Star’s head and she groaned. Yoshi paused, his breathing erratic. Li frowned. “Very well. I can be reasonable. If you will not give me the little one, then I’m willing to give this one back.” His eyes narrowed. “But you’re going to have pay for her like anyone else. And if you don’t, I’ve already got someone lined up to take her.”

Yoshi let out a roar. Raph and Kaz barely kept their hold him. “No! Yoshi! He’ll kill her!” Kaz pleaded.

Li cocked the pistol. “Better listen to your friend, freak. Compared to the little one, this one is not worth nearly as much to me.”

Yoshi froze, his whole body shaking with the restraint. Raph lowered his voice. “I know you want a piece of ‘im, son. I do too. But we gotta use our heads. Look up.” Yoshi’s eyes darted up for a split-second, then immediately back at Li. On the catwalk above him were Mikey, K-three and Shinta. In Mikey’s hand was a smoke bomb.

The four brothers exchanged a look, silently signaling they were ready. Mikey tossed the grenade and it exploded into a cloud of smoke at Li’s feet. The smoke burned the small man’s eyes and throat. He coughed, removing the gun from the side of Star’s head. When the smoke bomb had exploded, K-three and Shinta had swung down from the catwalk. Li’s henchman was slammed against the wall and his weapon torn from his hand. He opened his mouth to give a warning shout to his boss, but all that came out was a grunt as an uppercut caught him with such force that it threw his head back into the cement wall. He fell to the ground with a soft thud.

Li tried to blink away the smoke, but all he could make out were shadows moving around him. A bo struck him in the head from behind, a sai swiped away his gun, and another pair of hands snatched the girl from his arms. All within seconds of each other. The smoke was finally starting to clear. But what it revealed terrified him. Yoshi’s large form appeared, his eyes burning with the fire of hell in them. The turtle moved with astonishing speed. His first slash left four deep claw marks in the side of the man’s face. The second sank into Li’s midsection. Yoshi tried to speak, but anger clogged his throat so that what came out were a series of growls and snarls. Fiery green met dark brown as he yanked his tekko-kagi free.

Yoshi panted as he watched the man slide down the wall with blood dripping from his face and a hand pressed to his stomach as if trying to keep his insides in. A moan came from nearby and the young turtle spun to see his uncle looking down at his spouse with concern. He stowed his claws and fell to his knees beside her. “Star?” He lifted her limp body into his arms. Her eyes were half open but they seemed unfocused. “Doll, can ya hear me?”

Star shivered, sweat dripping down her body. She couldn’t string together a coherent thought. Even when a pair of rough hands began pulling away her clothing. Suddenly, it seemed way too loud around her. There was shouting and popping noises. Another pair of rough hands cut her free from the post, only for her to fall over. Then she was being lifted and dragged several feet away. Everything around her seemed to be tainted with a heavy fog. A voice rang out, loud and angry. Her heart seemed to know the voice, but her mind couldn’t place it. More shouting followed as something cold and hard was pressed against her head. An involuntary moan escaped her, muffled in her still gagged mouth. Time seemed to drag out. Had she been like this for minutes? Hours? Days? There was no consistency in it.

Suddenly, there was more shouting and something burned her eyes, though she barely felt it. And then she was in another pair of hands, strong and callused but somehow familiar. This new person held her far more gently, cradling her against a hard body. They laid her carefully on the ground, removing the gag from her mouth. A tender hand brushed her brow. She tried to focus through the fog. Someone leaned over her, a cool hand pressed to her swollen cheek. A moment later she was being pulled into a pair of strong arms. The voice returned, the one that sent a thrill through her body. A scent hit her that her mind knew even through the fog. It brought with it the since of safety. Gentle hands caressed her face as the voice came again. Her mind was still a jumble, but her heart put the pieces together. _Yoshi!_

The group waited for a terribly long moment without Star moving. Then she blinked her one good eye, tears filling it. She tried to speak, but all she could manage was the first letter in his name. “Y…”

Her sluggish reactions scared Yoshi to his core. He looked up at his uncle pleadingly. “Is she okay?”

Donnie frowned. “I think they drugged her with something. It’s hard to tell what just yet. Let’s get her to the van and get her warmed up. I can take a better look at her then.” Yoshi still looked terrified. Don squeezed his shoulder. “It’ll be okay. Once I know what they gave her, I can give her something to counteract it.” Yoshi gave a slow nod, pulling her even closer.

“Come on.” Raph put a hand under his son’s arm, urging him to his feet.

Leo frowned as he watched Raph, Yoshi and Don cross the warehouse to return to the van. He turned to K-three. “Check to be sure we didn’t leave any evidence here and then meet us in the van.” K-three gave a solemn nod. As he, Kaz and Shinta checked the warehouse, Leo and Mikey joined the others in the van.

Star was wrapped snugly in a blanket, cradled in Yoshi’s lap. She was still rather unresponsive, except that she kept trying to say his name. He shushed her. “It’s alright. I’ve got ya.” He pressed a kiss to her brow and rubbed her arms.

Donnie was rummaging through one of the compartments. He finally turned with a vile and syringe. “This is a rather broad anti-toxin but based on her symptoms, I believe it will do.” Yoshi gave him a worried look, frowning as his uncle took her arm and injected the medication. Don tucked her arm back into the blanket. “It may take a little while before it takes effect.”

Yoshi gave another silent nod, his arms tightening around his wife’s small body.

“How is she?” Leo asked.

Don frowned. “She’s got some superficial rope burns on her wrists and she managed to pull her shoulder out of socket.” He glanced at Raph. “Which we should really put back in place while she’s numb from whatever they gave her.”

Yoshi snapped to attention. “What?”

Raph had to agree. “It’ll be easier on ‘er.” He knew setting it in place was going to really hurt.

Yoshi tensed. Star was already in bad shape and they wanted to pop her shoulder back in place! Don knelt beside them. “Look, you can hold her. It’ll only take a second. In her current state, she likely won’t feel much.”

Yoshi let out a shuddering breath. “Okay.”

Don glanced at his brother and Raph moved closer. “Ya might wanna close your eyes.” Raph set a hand on his son’s shoulder. Yoshi did as suggested. He wasn’t certain he could take seeing her put through more pain. He wrapped one hand around her ribcage and cradled her head with the other.

Don shifted Star in Yoshi’s arms, so he could get a good hold to make it as swift and painless as possible. He glanced at his hot-headed nephew. “Ready?” He gave a small nod. Staying on alert in case Yoshi had a bad reaction to what he was about to do, he pulled and pressed at the same time and there was a small pop. Star jerked in Yoshi’s arms, a whimper escaping her. Don quickly moved back when Yoshi’s eyes shot open.

But the younger turtle was able to maintain his control, letting out a strained breath through clenched teeth. He gave her a worried look when she closed her eye and went limp in his arms. “Doll?”

“It’s alright, she just passed out. Sleep is best for her right now. Her body is still trying to fight off the effects of the drug.” Don put a sling on her arm, just to help keep it stable for a while. Yoshi wrapped her back up in the blanket as the others arrived. The ride home was quite. There was a tentative relief in the air, but they would all still be anxious until Star was herself again.

*&*&*&*&*&*&*

Yoshi sat on the cot in the lab, Star still cradled in his lap. He’d dressed her in some loose fitting clothes and then wrapped her back in the blanket. Don had suggested that they stay in the lab until Star had fully recovered. So for the past few hours he’d sat there holding her and waiting. He’d just began to drift off to sleep when a soft voice woke him.

“Yoshi?”

His eyes snapped open and he turned his head to gaze into one pale blue eye. It was bright and alert, no longer unfocused. He smiled warmly. “You’re awake? How do you feel?”

“Tired.” She lifted a hand to the right side of her face. “And my face hurts.”

“The swellin’s gone down some, but you’re definitely gonna have a shiner for a while.” He frowned, stroking her cheek gently. “I’m sorry.”

She caught his hand. “No, I’m the one that should apologize. I took off without telling you.” She squeezed his hand. “I’m sorry.”

He sighed, pulling her close and kissing her brow. “I was so scared somethin’ bad was gonna happen to ya. I don’t know what I’d do without ya. How much do ya remember?”

“Not much after I made Liling leave without me.” She took in a sharp breath. “Is she okay?”

“She’s fine, thanks to you. Ya saved her, doll. She’s sleepin’ right now.” Star sagged against him and for several minutes they sat quietly, just holding one another. Finally, he sighed. “Uncle Donnie said to get ‘im when ya woke up.” He shifted her from his lap to the cot. “Wait here for a minute. I’ll be right back.”

A few moments later he returned with Donatello. The older turtle smiled and pulled a chair up beside the cot. “I’m glad to see you up. Are you feeling sick at all?”

“No.” She said as Yoshi settled back beside her and wrapped an arm around her.

“I’d like to give you a quick exam just to make sure everything is alright and that the drug they gave you didn’t cause any permanent damage.” She gave a small nod and he took her vitals. Then, he drew a little blood to run for any signs of organ damage. When he was done, he took one of her hands in his. “You know, you are likely the only reason you and Liling survived. You were very brave, selfless, and determined.” He looked down at her broken nails and raw fingertips. “We are all very proud of you.” He gave a small chuckle as he stood. “You are definitely a Hamato. No one in the world could ever dispute that.”

Yoshi grinned. “That’s for sure.”

“You two go get some rest. I’ll let the others know you’re alright. I know they’ll be happy to hear it, they’ve been worried about you.” He and Yoshi helped Star to her feet. He patted his nephew’s shoulder. “Let me know if she needs anything.”

Yoshi nodded and helped her down the hall into the elevator. When they stepped off, Kaz was standing in the hall with Kara in his arms. His eyes lit up as they approached. He offered a small smile. “Hey, how you doin’, sis?”

Star couldn’t help but return the smile. “Better.”

“That’s good.” He frowned a little. “I’m sorry.”

She gave him a confused frown of her own. “About what?”

“About you and Liling being kidnapped and all. I was supposed to be watchin’ out for you.”

That’s when Star noticed the dark bruise on his jaw. She could easily guess where he’d gotten it. “That wasn’t your fault.” She stepped away from Yoshi to hug him. Kaz let out a deep sigh and gave her a gentle squeeze. “I know you did everything you could.”

Yoshi frowned as he met his cousin’s gaze over her head. “Yeah, I know that now too. I know you’d never let anything happen to Star, just like you’d never let anything happen to Ona.”

Kaz gave him a small smile, accepting the unspoken apology.

Yoshi took his wife gently from him and they headed for their room. “Come on, doll. It’s been a long day for all of us.”

*&*&*&*&*&*&*

**Epilogue**

Raph smiled across the café’s table at his son and daughter-in-law. The two were back to their normal playful spirits. It was good to see them smiling after so long. Most of the bruising was gone from Star’s face and a sparkle had returned to her eyes. Yoshi had finally stopped hovering quite so much. He’d barely left her side in the past few weeks, not that Raph could blame him. It had been many years since Cat’s aneurysm and he had yet to stop hovering himself. He squeezed her hand and met her bright green eyes. She was obviously thinking the same thing he was as she smiled.

It was a beautiful sunny spring day. A light breeze ruffled Cat’s hair, carrying her scent to him. He closed his eyes, savoring the moment. Because these were those sweet moments they’d all come to live for. He couldn’t help thinking just how far they’d come in their lives. He’d gone from living in a sewer, surviving off of scraps to sitting in the sunshine with his wife, son, and daughter. They had some rough times along the way that was for sure, but that was the way of the world. Life gives and takes in turn. Certainly some things were harder to get over than others and some left deep scars, but with the right support and encouragement you learned to manage.

“I think I wanna piece of lemon pie.” Yoshi pushed away his empty plate.

Star smiled. “Mm, pie sounds good. But the cherry is better.”

Yoshi snorted. “No, it’s not.”

She giggled. “Yes, it is.”

Cat grinned. “I’m with Star on that one. Cherry is always better, especially from here.”

Yoshi huffed. “What do you say, dad?”

Raph smirked. “I say you’re all wrong. Chocolate’s the best.”

Yoshi opened his mouth to protest but stopped, his eyes moving past his parents to the sidewalk beyond. “You have got to be freakin’ kiddin’ me!”

Raph and Cat turned to follow their son’s gaze. Kristy stood several feet away. Raphael growled. “She’s got some nerve showin’ up here.”

The woman hesitated at the very angry looks she was receiving. She took a few steps forward. Star didn’t look at her, instead focusing on her plate. “I…I just wanted to say I’m sorry. I never meant for you to get hurt.”

“But you’re just dandy with somebody else bein’ hurt!” Raph accused rather loudly.

Kristy frowned, her eyes still on her daughter. “Star, please…” She took a step forward and Yoshi started to stand.

Cat waved him off. “I’ll take care of this.”

Raph raised an eye-ridge at her as she stood. “Darlin’?”

She gave him a tiny smile. “It’s a girl thing.” He wasn’t sure how to respond to that, so he watched her with a touch of concern as she stepped around the little fence that separated the sidewalk from the café.

Kristy eyed her. Cat was shorter than her and quite a bit older too. So, she held her ground, even as she advanced on her. She glared. “I didn’t come here to talk to you. I came to talk to Star.”

Cat kept her voice as even and as low as she could manage. “You said your piece. Now go.”

Kristy scowled. “I don’t know who you people think you are to try to keep me from my own daughter!”

Cat tensed. “You know what, my boys are too good of men to lay their hands on you.” She slugged her hard. Kristy fell to the ground a hand covering her eye and mouth hanging open. Cat glared down at her with fiery green eyes. “But _I_ ain’t got no reservations about poundin’ you into the ground. So, if you’ve got any brain cells left, you better listen and listen good. Star is _my_ daughter now. You have no claim to her and if I _ever_ see your face again, I will tear you apart so bad that no one will be able to recognize you afterwards.” She growled. “You got that!” Kristy gave a small nod. “Good. Now beat it, before I decide to give you that poundin’ right now!”

Kristy shot Star one last glance, before she climbed to her feet. Giving Cat a wary look, she turned and hurried off down the street.

Cat turned to find her family staring at her with wide eyes. Yoshi let out a small chuckle. “Go Mom!”

A wicked grin broke across Raph’s face. “Now, I know we ain’t gonna ever see ‘er again.”

Cat met Star’s eyes, bright green to pale blue. “Nobody messes with my girl.”


End file.
